Bounty Hunter Jaune
by Dahmiel
Summary: Bounty hunter, mercenary, assassin, contract killer... Huntsman. Any profession in a field of conflict leaves much to desire, but Jaune prefers the term bounty hunter, and sometimes mercenary. Taking bounty requests and missions from legal and illegal sources, Jaune always ensure that he survives and his rewards collected.
1. Prologue

**Concept 1: **

**I figured that there aren't that many stories related to these sorts of things, so I complied with some concepts that might be subjected to rewriting in the future.**

**I actually have up to two chapters, but those are like cliff notes detailing combat, abilities, plot, etc. I have to fill out the dialogues and setting details in order for it to become an actual chapter. Like I said CONCEPT.**

**There is a second concept. It involves Jaune somehow being tasked in finding Amber, the Fall Maiden, but was a bit late. This results in a meeting with Qrow and some misunderstanding caused them to have a brief scuffle showing off Jaune's skill despite being around Yang's age. However, that one is all in snippets of notes. Ouch.**

**Anyway, give me your feedback on this story.**

**EDIT: Fixed some grammar and stuff.**

**EDIT: Fixed some grammar and restructured the chapter. There may be somethings out of place...**

* * *

**Prologue:**

Pyrrha was nervous.

She was nervous every now and then, but this one takes the cake. Two Mistral council members and the Headmaster of Haven Academy will be personally attending her tournament match. She was certain that other important figures will be watching the tournament live; adding to her uneasiness.

Tomorrow will be her fourth time participating in Mistral Regional Tournament, and possibly her fourth time winning it. If her anxiety doesn't put a stop to her performance that is.

She was situated in her resort room. The entirety of Aqua Lake Resort was reserved for tournament participants and other associates. It was luxurious, large, and well accommodated for huntsman and huntresses. Sponsors, government officials, and security details were currently out around the town square and resort lobby; making Pyrrha feel even more trapped in this golden cage.

She really wanted to get out of this place; just a brief walk around the town.

'They won't mind. I hope.'

Pyrrha thought to herself as she prepares her disguise. She donned her green hoodie, tanned trousers, shades, and sneakers. Deciding whether or not she should bring her weapons, she settled in just bringing her spear/sword/rifle, Milo, and placed it within her dark blue weapon case.

She hoped that people will think that it's an instrument case she's carrying around, or at the very least they'll assume that she's just another huntress-in-training.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her door and set out into town.

/-/

Pyrrha waltzed through the streets, ecstatic that no one recognized her. She could finally, temporarily, not have to worry about fans pestering her, or being treated like royalty.

Nonetheless, she would rather take routes where there are fewer people.

She remembered the ice cream parlor that she would like to visit again. Their Vytal Cherry Sundae was something to die for.

Pyrrha turned into an alleyway and made a beeline towards the northern part of the city; where the ice cream parlor is located. She walked through several alleyways, made a series of turns before coming to a dead halt.

"Councilwoman Krystal is residing on the top floor of Aqua Lake Resort. We just don't know the room number."

"It won't matter. Once the tournament starts, they'll be making their way towards the colosseum. My crew will make sure we get the drop on them. Hunters and hunters-in-training, they're all small fry against my crew. You pay what you get, after all."

The voices slowly shifted closer towards her location and it sounded that whatever this conversation is detailing, it wasn't legal.

Pyrrha quickly backed away, but suddenly found herself backing into someone behind her. She tried to turn around, but a gloved hand clamped down on her mouth and pulled her back. Pyrrha fiercely resisted but found herself freezing up as the voices in the alleyway cursed, followed by footsteps running away.

The person behind her also cursed and released, her chasing after them. She could only get a glimpse of his appearance; tall, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. He turned the corner and was gone before she could even blink.

/-/

"Damn! Just my luck!" Jaune cursed as he tried to pick up the sound of footsteps further away from him. His footsteps echo throughout the alleyway further muffling his ability to track down his target. Turning around the corner, he saw three goons wearing bandanas over their face, guns pointed at him.

"Got him!" One of them shouted.

Jaune kicked off the floor and jumped high into the sky. Bullets whizzing past him as he twisted in the air. He reached into his coat and threw an electric detonator at the goons.

"Oh sh-" Was all they could say before the detonator exploded, sending lightning all over the alleyway. The goons cried out as the electricity coursed through their bodies. Their ammunition was exposed to the electric current and exploded, sending the goons flying into the walls.

They hit the ground groaning, unconscious, slightly charred, but alive. Jaune wouldn't mind killing them, but since this bounty was put out by the council of Mistral and Atlas, he would play it safe and try to leave them alive.

Jaune ran past the fallen thugs and continue down the alley. Several more goons emerged from the left alley slowing down his advanced as they fired and blocked his path with expandable shields.

"Left, huh?" Jaune smirked.

He jumped onto the wall and kicked himself up and over the rooftop. The thugs below him cursed and started scrambling to intercept him. Several jumped up onto the roof only for them to be blown away by Jaune's revolver.

"End of the line!" A hulking man in body armor jumped onto the roof and started charging towards him. Jaune turned tail and ran the opposite direction. He jumped over the roof gaps while avoiding bullets that whizzed past him.

Jumping over another roof gap, Jaune spun around and threw his bola at the large man that wrapped around his legs. The man cried out as he toppled over and fell over the roof landing directly into a dumpster.

"Too easy!" Jaune laughed, feeling the adrenaline rushing through his whole body. He could tell that this was going to get ugly as he neared his target. Yelling could be heard from below between two people.

"You just had to discuss this out in the open, didn't you?!"

"Shut up! You followed along as well!"

"Yeah, and now our plans are screwed!"

Jaune lobbed two Dusts filled grenades over the roof and in-between the gaps.

He relished the cursing and screaming as the grenade filled with fire and ice Dust exploded sending out a warm, thick fog throughout the alley. The second one was filled with lightning Dust sending large quantities of electric voltage throughout the fog.

After the crackling sound of electricity ceased, and the fog slowly evaporated, Jaune dropped down and surveyed his surroundings. Armed thugs were sprawled out everywhere, unconscious.

He spotted his target and readied his revolver.

His target is Greenley Brookberry.

A former Atlas Specialists that was responsible for massacring civilians in an attempted to flush out the White Fang. He was arrested and was tried with several war crimes, but somehow broke free and escaped along with several individuals from his units.

Now, he works as a mercenary for the wealthy, or for the powerful criminal organizations that ruled the criminal underworld within Atlas and Mistral. Paired with his military background, huntsman training, and leadership; Greenley is a dangerous and effective terrorist. Because of this, Mistral and Atlas pooled in on a bounty for Greenley and any of his commanders. Preferably alive, of course.

Jaune steadily made his way towards a tanned man with short black hair wearing a brown coat; Greenley Brookberry.

Greenley appeared to be unconscious, but Jaune knew better than to underestimate a man who had specialists training and managed to evade capture from all four kingdoms.

Jaune swiftly directed his gun at Greenley's head and fired off a gravity Dust round at him. Greenley swiftly pushed himself off the ground sending fragments into the air. The gravity bullet struck one of the fragments causing it to spiral into the sky.

Greenley appeared in front of Jaune and swung his falx sword at him. Jaune skittered back and blast chunks of ice from his gauntlets. Shards of ice scattered as Greenley slashed through them with ease.

"Slick bastard you are. Who sent you? You're not one of Atlas Specialists, nor Mistral's Special Response Team." Said Greenley. His falx sword folded inward and morphed into a rifle.

"Just a guy trying to collect your bounty," Jaune replied and threw several grenades into the air. Greenley leveled his rifle and shot out half of the grenades in the air while dodging bullets fired from Jaune's revolver.

The remaining grenades detonated overhead. It seemed that only his grenades mixed with ice and fire Dust remained, with the alley enveloped in a thick mist once again.

"Ah, you're one of those guys… Tell you what, why don't you let me go and I'll hand over three million liens. My client paid me handsomely to have my crew carry out his orders, but it seems like he no longer has a say in this." Greenley narrowed his eyes as he saw a figure dart through the mist. "Not taking it, huh?"

Greenley sneered and crouched on the ground; the sound of crackling electricity caused him to widen his eyes. Cursing, he kicked off the ground and leaped onto the roof.

Jaune was already on the roof the moment he detonated the lightning Dust grenade. He's out of grenades, with the only one last grenade filled with gravity Dust. Problem is, he really wants to save it when he got Greenley down.

"Should had brought more with me" Jaune sighed. A rogue huntsman can't do much when he's weighted down on the ground or floating in the air.

Jaune's attention snapped to his right as he saw Greenley shot out of the electrified mist field. The mercenary spotted Jaune instantly and fired at him. Jaune somersaulted while returning fire. His gravity Dust bullets were blocked by Greenley's weapon, but that was what Jaune wanted him to do.

Greenley narrowed his eyes as he noticed his weapon suddenly becoming heavier. He swiftly dodged another round of bullets and quickly inspected his weapon; glowing, dark green powder peppered his weapon.

"Weighted gravity Dust? Kid, where do you get these?" He laughed and tore off a sleeve from his brown coat. With a quick swipe, Greenley removed the gravity Dust residue and dropped the cloth.

"If you let me turn you in, I won't hesitate to tell you," Jaune shouted as he lunged towards Greenley with his electrified combat knife.

"Tempting!" Greenley said as he shifted his rifle into its falx sword mode and slashed at Jaune. "But I think I'll pass!"

Jaune's combat knife caught Greenley's sword by its serrated part. He swiftly twisted his knife nearly disarming Greenley as electricity violently sparked from the maneuver. Seeing that he wasn't successful in disarming Greenley, Jaune pulled out his revolver and tried to get a clean shot at Greenley.

This action caused Greenley to drop his weapon and gave Jaune the fiercest punch he could muster.

"Augh!" Jaune flew back and rolled several times. His revolver slid several meters away from him while his knife was kicked further away by Greenley.

The mercenary grinned while picking up his weapon. Jaune blinked away the stars before registering that Greenley was charging towards him. Jaune quickly pressed a button on his gauntlet but was interrupted as Greenley shot at him.

Four bullets struck him square in the head stunning Jaune for a moment. Greenley grinned victoriously as he shifted his rifle to a falx and slashed at Jaune's neck.

Jaune raised his hands in defense, waiting for the strike. Greenley was enjoying this, he was several feet away and ready to slit the blonde's throat until felt something heading towards him. He turned his head slightly and saw a shield flying towards him like a frisbee.

"Oh, what now?!" He snarled and struck the shield sending it tumbling to the ground. Greenley saw a figure with red hair, wielding a spear that shifted into a rifle. The redhead fired at Greenley forcing him to step back and deflect all the shots.

Jaune took this opportunity and fired three gravity Dust bullets from his gauntlet, but those were also blocked by Greenley.

"Damn!" Jaune cursed as Greenley skillfully maneuver out of the volley and returned fire.

The mercenary muttered something under his breath and jumped down from the roof. He landed near a manhole, removed the metallic lid, and jumped down into Mistral sewers.

"No, you don't!" Jaune shouted after him, he snatched his revolver and jumped down after him.

"W-wait!" A feminine voice called out from above. If he can recall, she was the girl from the alleyway earlier. Regardless, he ignored her and followed the sound of heavy footsteps.

/-/

The authorities were already made well aware of the criminal elements when she quickly returned to the resort. They swiftly called upon Mistral Special Response Team and ordered everyone to stay in their room. Pyrrha, however, disobeyed that order. She went back to her room and changed into her combat attire before making her way towards the sound of fighting.

By luck, she spotted the blond boy engaging in combat with a tall man in a brown coat. Her heart nearly stopped when the blonde was blown back and shot in the head multiple times. Fortunately, the blonde's aura held up but stunned him. The man took this moment to try to decapitate him.

That was when Pyrrha acted. Utilizing her magnetic semblance, she launched her shield at the man. This bought the blonde time to recover and retaliate.

However, the man was able to deflect his attack. Outnumbered, he decided to flee and jumped down from the roof.

Pyrrha cursed as she saw the blond boy jumped down after the man she now recognized as Greenley Brookberry. The disgraced Atlas specialist and notorious terrorist.

The logical part of Pyrrha's mind told her to stay with the authorities and wait until the Special Response Team arrived, but after witnessing Greenley nearly killing someone, she couldn't help but follow after the blond boy.

She snatched her shield and jumped down the manhole, already hearing gunshots and metal screeching against each other.

She wondered why the blond boy was chasing after Greenley. Does he hold a grudge against Greenley? That doesn't seem too far off. The things Greenley did would obviously leave a lot of enemies. Still, for a boy around her age to be this determined to hunt down Greenley…

Pyrrha shook her head and jumped over the sewer water. The sound of fighting echoed loudly in the large tunnels as Pyrrha drew closer. She turned the corner and saw Greenley being cornered by walls of ice covering all the tunnels.

Greenley spotted her and hissed as he avoided another slash from blonde's collapsible sword.

"Duck!" Pyrrha shouted as she drew Milo and fired at Greenley. The blonde did so and backtracked as Greenley deflected all of her bullets. He drew his revolver and joined in on her volley.

Greenley grunted one of the blonde's bullet struck him on the right leg. It exploded and covered his leg in glowing green powder.

'Gravity Dusts!' Pyrrha thought as Greenley staggered. His right leg appeared to levitate slightly before he put his weight on it. The blonde grinned and bounced something on the ground.

Greenley's eyes widen. He ceased deflecting her bullets and threw himself over the frozen sewage water while firing at the object that the blonde threw. The mercenary's aim was dead on as he struck the grenade causing it to discharge in a miniature green explosion.

"Ugh." The blonde groaned and continued firing his revolver but found that he ran out of ammo already.

He groaned again and rushed towards the mercenary with his sword. Pyrrha was also out of ammunition. She shifted Milo into spear form and charged at Greenley along with her shield, Akouo.

Greenley scowled turned into laughter as he met the two teens. Despite being slightly impeded by gravity Dust, Greenley fought the two back with ferociously. He delivered a powerful, roundhouse kick to the blonde sending him sprawled out on the floor but grunted as the blonde's sword grazed his leg.

Seeing the blond boy knocked out, Pyrrha was scared as Greenley gained an upper hand. Scared, but also determined.

She fiercely pushed forward and gave the mercenary a series of slashes and stabs. Unfortunately, her offense was abruptly halted as Greenley smashed his fist into her shield sending out shockwaves and temporarily stunning Pyrrha.

He tried slashed at her elbow, but Pyrrha was able to backflipped away. She landed and went on the defensive, her shield held tight and her Milo in its spear form. However, she was easily overwhelmed as Greenley attacked with blitzing speed.

The mercenary's falx sword practically ignored her shield as it arced around Akouo; cleaving chunks of her aura away. Combined with Greenley's strength, speed, and experience, she was nearly out of the fight when he punched her shield once more.

Pyrrha staggered back and fell as he slashed her legs. She cried out as her greaves flew from their straps and skittered away. Her shin was bleeding, and she was all out of aura.

Pyrrha bit her lips and curled up a bit before slowly standing up. She did not want to die here.

"Better luck next time, kid." Greenley huffed and attacked. His sword blurred over her shield and stabbed towards her left eye.

Before Pyrrha could even react, she felt something hit her shield. Whatever it was, the knockback was strong; sending her flying several meters and into a wall. The wind was knocked out of her and she collapsed onto the ground.

Vision dimming.

/-/

Jaune made a difficult decision. He can waste his initial and surprising attack on Greenley and bag him or use it on the redhead who helped him earlier. The redhead was bleeding from her shin and was obviously depleted of aura. Still, she fought.

Or at least tried to.

Greenley blurred, his falx sword aimed at her left eye. Jaune exhaled, pointed his gauntlet and fired at the redhead's shield. The gravity bullet struck her shield sending her flying back and out of reach of Greenley's blade.

Jaune got up and fired his gauntlet again at Greenley, who took this moment to try and escape further into the sewers. The mercenary cursed and tried to deflect his bullets but was hit multiple times.

Weighted gravity Dust and lightning dust bullets struck Greenley as he fell down. Electricity webbed around him as Greenley forcefully stood up and roared at Jaune; his weapon fell to the ground, heavy from the weighted gravity bullets.

Greenley charged at him, intending to maul the teenager with all he's got. Jaune smirked and fired another lightning bullet at him, this one struck him square on the head, depleting his aura.

The mercenary screamed as electricity coursed through his body before kneeling on the floor, almost unconscious. Jaune reached into his jacket and pulled out two reinforced handcuffs, he tightly gripped them like brass knuckles before "lightly" punching Greenley across the head with them.

"Lights out," Jaune said as he watched Greenley hit the floor, finally out cold. He quickly secured Greenley with the reinforced handcuffs; cuffing his hands and legs. After doing so, he checked the interface on his gauntlet.

Restrainers - [Qty: 2]: Armed

Lightning Component: Functional

Gravity Component: Functional

Jaune huffed and turned his attention towards the redhead. He didn't need to worry about Greenley now that he's been restrained and unconscious.

His reinforced handcuffs are armed with lightning Dust that he can activate with a press of a button. If that doesn't work, he can activate the gravity Dust and sent them down into the ground.

That said he quickly ran towards the redhead who was slowly standing up.

"Y-you… Got him." Was all she could manage to say.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Thank you for saving me earlier." He said as he put her arm over his shoulder and supported her.

"You're welcome." She said sweetly. "So…"

"Do you have a scroll?"

"Oh… Um. I forgot it in my room."

"I see, no worries. I got mine, but first… Let me help you with that injury." Jaune said as he steadied the redhead. She blinked as he grasped both of her hands, slightly blushing. "My semblance allows me to amplified aura, semblances, or restore it. Of course, it's at the cost of my own. Don't worry though, I have a lot of aura reserved."

"That's a wonderful semblance. Um. I don't believe I got your name." The redhead said as her aura started to return to her.

"Jaune. No last names for now. Sorry."

"Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos. And don't worry about it." Pyrrha said with a smile. Her wounds have started to heal, and she felt energized. "I think this is good enough, Jaune. Thank you so much!"

"It's the least I can do." He said with a small smile and released her hand. "Now, if you excuse me. I have to make a call to the authorities, now that I have the infamous Greenley Brookberry restrained."

Pyrrha nodded as Jaune made his call. After a brief talk between him and the operator, he hung up and started messing around with the interface on his gauntlet.

"So… Jaune."

"Hm?"

"Forgive me if I'm… Asking something personal, but do you… Um, why were you chasing after Greenley? I know it's a huntsman job to do these sorts of thing, but-"

"Oh. I think I know what you're talking about." Jaune said with a wave. "Greenley had a bounty on his head, so I took the liberty of tracking him down. Nothing personal, but I most certainly don't like the things that he did."

"Isn't it a bit too dangerous for someone our age to take on bounty missions like these?" Pyrrha asked with a confused expression.

Hunters academies often post bounty missions, but not to the extent where hunters-in-training are tasked on taking down dangerous criminals like Greenley. It's normally restricted to dealing with common bandits or specific types of Grimms.

"No, you idiot, it means he's a bounty hunter. That, or a mercenary like me." A gruff voice said from behind them.

Jaune and Pyrrha turned around and saw Greenley already awake. He looked exhausted and his head rested on the smooth sewage floor.

"You're already awake? Man, you're a tough dude to knock out." Jaune said as he strolled over towards him. "Don't try doing anything funny, those restrain contain lightning Dusts and I will activate them if you try to break free."

Greenley snorted. "Cute. You must be very proud of yourself."

"Not really." Jaune said coolly, "But you must be embarrassed, getting captured by two teenagers. All those specialists and military training, down the drain."

"Hardly a waste, boy. At least I know that one day the younger generation will overtake the older ones. On a side note, I hope you get mugged; with all my bounty you'll be carrying around."

Jaune laughed and dragged Greenley to his feet. "Come on, I hear them marching a mile away."

Heavy footsteps echoed in the sewers, flashlight scouring the dark tunnels.

"This is the MSRT! We're here to retrieve Greenley Brookberry, can anyone hear us?"

"I can hear you!" Jaune shouted. "I have Greenley Brookberry restrained. Pyrrha Nikos is also with me."

"Alright. Come out slowly and try not to make any sudden movement."

"Understood! We are armed. How do we proceed?"

"Acknowledged. Do not point any weapon at us or make any sudden movement. Continue as instructed."

"Understood."

Jaune shoved Greenley towards the heavy footsteps with Pyrrha quietly walking behind him. Flashlights blinded them as they slowly moved out of the tunnels. A figure walked forward in a dark uniform bearing Mistral insignia. He studied Jaune before looking at Pyrrha, then he looked at Greenley and removed his helmet.

A man hardy man in his fifties glared at Greenley before smirking.

"Well, I be damned. Greenley Brookberry. Got his ass beaten by these two fine youngsters. No offense to you two, but damn."

"Oh great, if it isn't Deputy Grayman. You're not dead, yet."

"It's Commissioner Grayman now, Greenley," Grayman said with a smug expression before turning towards his men. "It's Greenley Brookberry alright, I want maximum security protocols in place, now! Silver-1, Gold-5, escort this bastard."

"Yes, sir!" Two identical dressing MSRT grabbed Greenley by his arms and hoisted him away.

Grayman turned towards the two teenagers and gave them a pat on the back. "Pyrrha Nikos! Look at you, taking down one of Atlas and Mistral's notorious terrorist just before your fourth debut at Mistral Regional Tournament. Also, what on Remnant were you two thinking?!"

"W-we, uh..." Pyrrha stammered and nudged Jaune.

Grayman's stern expression softens and he waved a hand. "Regardless, I'm glad you two youngsters are safe." He turned his attention towards Jaune. "And you must be Jaune," Grayman said and extended a hand to him.

"That's me. Jaune, Jaune Arc." Jaune said and shook the commissioner's hand.

An Atlesian airship landed on a wide field within a park while several other airships and a cruiser floated above Mistral.

Two figures stepped out of the airship, flanked by a column of soldiers. General James Ironwood stepped out of the airship followed by Specialist Winter Schnee. The general surveyed his surroundings while making his way towards a large security detail composed of Mistral's finest militia and police officers.

"General Ironwood. It is a pleasure." Said Grayman and saluted the Atlesian General. The general smiled at the older man and returned his salute.

"Commissioner Grayman. The pleasure is mine, old friend." The giant man said with a smile. He walked up to Grayman and shook hands. "I heard Greenley Brookberry been captured. Care to fill me in on the details so far?"

"Yes, sir. According to what we have so far, our old friend Greenley was hired out by a corrupted businessman with ties to the Mistral underworld. Greenley and his band of terrorists were planning to kidnap Councilwoman Krystal in retaliation for her escalation in cracking down on corruption."

"I see. Continue."

"Mistral Regional Tournament champion, Pyrrha Nikos, happened stumbled upon one of their conversion between Greenley and his client in an isolated alleyway. Her presence was noticed by Greenley, in which the latter fled."

Ironwood frowned. "Why was she in the alleyway?"

"Miss Nikos had disguised herself; trying to avoid her fans and public notice. She took an alternative route, which happened upon Greenley." Grayman explained.

Ironwood nodded and motioned Grayman to continue.

"Unfortunately, this is where we currently are in this investigation. What I do know is that Miss Nikos assisted another person in taking down Greenley. Another boy around her age, Jaune Arc."

"An Arc…" Ironwood mused.

"Indeed. Miss Nikos confirmed that Mr. Arc saved her from suffering life-threatening injuries, and it was he who later captured Greenley." Grayman waved at General Ironwood and Winter to follow.

"Is Miss Nikos all right?" Ironwood asked.

"Yes. It appears that Mr. Arc possessed a semblance that allows him to amplified aura, and to an extent, restore it. He used it on Miss Nikos and is now fully healed and well."

"Interesting. Quite a useful semblance." Ironwood's mind wandered towards Amber's current condition. The Fall Maiden is currently unconscious, and her aura readings are irregular.

If he could get Jaune Arc to Amber…

"Sir? Are you alright?" Winter asked.

Ironwood blinked and stood straighter. "It's nothing, Specialist Winter. I'm just thinking about all the paperwork I have to file to the council after this."

"I hate to imagine what it's like to handle both the military and hunter academies." Grayman laughed before stopping in front of a large armored vehicle. He nodded at the two guards and welcomed the Atlesian guests inside.

The vehicle was filled with heavily armed individuals from Mistral's Special Response Team, guarding their important prisoner, Greenley Brookberry.

Greenley was dressed in a bright orange uniform and had a collar attached to his neck. His hands had bracelets encompassing his wrist and another similar pair on his legs. The mercenary glanced up and rolled his eyes when he saw General Ironwood walked in.

"Oh no. Old wounds, opening up. If it isn't Colonel Ironwood, here to mock me as well?" Greenley yawned.

Winter looked at him with absolute disguised, while Ironwood remained stoic.

"It's General Ironwood, now."

Greenley looked annoyed. "Of course, everyone gets a promotion and I don't even hear about it."

Ironwood didn't say anything and glared at Greenley. The disgraced specialist returned his stare with a smirk.

"So… Whatcha gonna do to me? Haul me back to Atlas? Send me to the fridge? Execute me?"

"We'll see in due time. Greenley." Ironwood said coldly before turning towards Grayman. "I have seen enough. May I ask where are the two who helped capture Greenley?"

"Over here."

Ironwood and Winter turned around and saw a blond boy leaning on the wall. Beside him stood Pyrrha Nikos, who had the meekest and uncertain expression on her face. The blond boy got off of the wall and stood up straight.

"General Ironwood. Specialist Winter, I presume." He said.

"You are correct," Ironwood said without blinking. "And you must be Jaune Arc."

Jaune placed one hand behind his back, another over his heart, and bowed. "I am. It's a pleasure."

"Likewise. Pyrrha Nikos?" He turned and addressed the redhead next to Jaune. Pyrrha met Ironwood's gaze and bowed politely.

"Yes, sir. It's a pleasure, General Ironwood."

Ironwood laughed. "At ease you two." And turned his attention towards Jaune. "I understand that you are asking to collect Greenley's bounty."

"Yes, once I collect the bounty. I will be on my way." Jaune replied coolly. His eyes locked with the general's.

"I see. Grayman."

"Yes?"

"Is there a place where we can talk, in private?" Ironwood motioned towards the two teenagers.

"There is."

/-/

Jaune wanted to skip with joy after he deposited his bounty into several of his bank accounts. He managed to capture Greenley, one of the most dangerous terrorists to roam the kingdoms and secured his payment.

Of course, he was afraid that Atlas or Mistral would arrest him. He had taken several contracts from criminal elements before, but they were filtered by his mentor to be restricted to those that won't be missed.

Not that they would know it, maybe… General Ironwood seems to know something, but Jaune wasn't entirely sure what Ironwood knows. Probably his family name.

Speaking of his mentor… His next assignment has already arrived on his scroll. He just hasn't read the files yet. Jaune walked down the street and slowed as he felt someone following him. He tensed but relaxed when he turned around.

"Hello again!" A familiar figure and voice called out.

Jaune smiled as he saw Pyrrha walking towards him. She was dressed in her casual clothes that she wore earlier today.

Hoodie and all. The only thing she was missing was the shades, and that's because the sun was setting fast.

"Hello, Pyrrha. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. I just wanted to thank you for putting me out of harm's way." Pyrrha said, placing both hands behind her back.

"Not a problem. Glad you've recovered from your injuries. In all honesty, I feel a bit bad about getting you involved in all of this." He scratched the back of his head looking a little bit sheepish. Even though they both saved each other lives in a short period of time, it felt that Jaune owns her more.

After all, Greenley had effectively put him in a spot where he could have killed him twice. If it weren't for Pyrrha, he would have most likely died. As for her, he only saved her life once. Their first encounter in the alleyway didn't count.

"Don't worry about it! I… Just wanted to help out. So, um… Jaune. What will you be doing next?"

"Hmmm…" Jaune mused with a thoughtful expression.

With the bounty he collected, he was practically set for a quarter of his life. Sure, the bounties he collected before were a bit hefty but those could be blown through since Jaune invested it in unorthodox Dusts, weapons, and tech research.

What should he do now? Jaune does have one more mission though, but he'll have to read it and decide if he wants to accept it or not. He can pass off on any mission until he feels like doing them. Aside from that, he'll be engaging in leisure activities. Conducting research, reading, working out, watching TV…

Boring.

He enjoyed his work and hobbies, but sometimes it's just repetitive at time.

"I don't know actually. I still have one more mission to take but after that… I would most likely be doing almost nothing. Just some hobbies like Dust research and whatnot. That's how I got my gears in the first place."

Pyrrha stayed silence for a moment. "Jaune, why did you become a huntsman?"

"Bounty hunter." He corrected her.

"A huntsman doing a bounty mission." She fired back.

"Close enough." Jaune laughed. "It's hard to explain, but I don't exactly have a good reason for being a huntsman. I'm trying to live out my life, so to speak. Are you… Getting what I'm saying?"

"I think I understand some of it," Pyrrha said thoughtfully. "Sorry for asking something personal."

"Don't worry about it. I'm still finding myself in this world. Life's not fair, so I try to make the best of it."

Jaune and Pyrrha walked through the streets in silence. After walking down several blocks, he stopped in front of a motel.

"Well, this is where I'll be staying for the night. I believe my next mission will be at Vale."

"That's grand! I'm actually thinking of applying to Beacon Academy." Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Oh? Not at Haven Academy?" Though he didn't find it odd, it wasn't unusual for hunters-in-training to go to another kingdom in order to attend their academies.

"Let's just say… I'm a bit well known here." Pyrrha meekly said. Jaune raised an eyebrow before realizing that Pyrrha always seemed to be trying to hide from the public crowd. Also, her name… Where did he hear it?

"My turn to ask a personal question. You have the right to refuse it, but are you famous or something? Your name sounds familiar, and you often shrink away from crowds of people."

Pyrrha looked surprised before smiling. "Three times champion of Mistral Regional Tournament. Maybe fourth if I win the next one tomorrow. It makes me a celebrity of sorts."

"Ah, I see. Wait… They're still moving on with the tournament. After all this mess?" Jaune said with a surprised causing Pyrrha to laugh.

"Surprisingly so. The start date only got moved a few hours down towards noon."

"Well then, I wish you the best of luck. Sadly, I don't know if I'll be watching your matches. My next mission will most likely start tomorrow." Jaune pulled out his room keys and twirled it on his fingers. "Guess we're both busy, huh?"

"It would seem so." She giggled. "Don't worry if you miss my matches. Its all recorded."

"Convenient. So… I guess this is where we say goodbye."

"W-wait. Um… So, do you want to… I don't know, exchange scroll numbers?" She blurted it out. "It's just that… We can keep in contact. Uh…"

Jaune smiled and held out his scroll. "Why not? It's lonely at the top, isn't it?"

"It sure is." She laughed.

They exchanged numbers and bid farewell to each other.

"See you someday, Pyrrha."

"You too, Jaune."

/-/

Ironwood was in a decent mood today. The disgraced Atlas specialist, Greenley Brookberry, has finally been captured and is being transported to Atlas custody. The only problem now is the paperwork and some pestering councilmembers that would want to know more about the incident from him.

"General Ironwood, sir."

"Yes, Specialist Winter."

"Is it wise to leave this… Arc boy be? Our intelligence stated that he has worked with criminal elements before. Normally as a contract killer. He's almost no different from the work Greenley does." Winter said while frowning. She was flipping through the file that contained possible evidence of Jaune's handiwork.

"I am well aware of his involvement in the criminal world."

"Then why…?"

"One is that we do not have solid evidence. Second is that every single one of these victims is quite despicable. While I do not condone his 'alleged' actions taken upon these individuals. I wouldn't put it past any huntsman or huntresses to do the same. Third, it's unwise to antagonize someone who was resourceful enough to track down those that managed to evade the law for a long time."

Winter blinked. "If I'm going to assume, sir. Jaune would be a valuable ally instead of an enemy. Is that what you intend, sir?"

Ironwood mentally groaned inside as he realized that he was starting to act like Ozpin but didn't show it on his expression.

"Precisely. Not to mention Jaune's arsenal; Dust filled bullets, grenades, and I would assume more that he has yet to show... They're all functionally proficient. Some of the Dust he used are beyond the scope of what Atlas's research on Dust had even covered. At best, we have experimental types while his are already past that stage."

The most remarkable is the "weighted" gravity bullets. The functionality is simple, the bullet is practically harmless, but anything it impacted would be weighted down. Gravity Dust filled bullets exist, but their functionality in combat is more on mobility or utility.

"That… Would explain the hordes of scientists outside the forensic lab." Winter had never seen that many intellectuals with such a rabid look. It was to such to a fierce intensity that even she had to get out of their way, protocols be damned.

"Yes." General Ironwood coughed, even he didn't want to get in their way. "Let's leave them be for now. I have a feeling that this boy has quite a positive morality. After all, you met him before."

"Only twice, sir." Winter had indeed encounter Jaune before. The first was when she was responding to a Grimm infestation of an Atlesian outpost, and another when she was tasked in a sting operation on weapon smuggling.

He was polite, but also very blunt. Nonetheless, he had assisted her before within the confines of what she deems acceptable.

"What's your opinion on him?"

Winter thought for a moment before answering. "He has a sense of justice, but he's also a pragmatic realist. He knows that the world isn't morally black and white, but shades of gray. And he won't hesitate to get his hands dirty if the outcome is… Desirable."

"I see. That is my impression of him." Ironwood mused. He frowned as he begins to hear the escalating voices outside his office. "Winter…"

"I'm on it, sir." Winter left the office and came back a few seconds later with an annoyed expression. "It's the scientists sir. They're postulating their hypothesis and arguing amongst one another already."

Ironwood sighed and placed a hand over his face. "At least it's not Dr. Polendina." On cue, his scroll started ringing with Dr. Polendina's number displayed.

"…"

"… I'll be on my way, sir." Winter said as she swiftly walked out of his office.

/-/

Bounty hunter, mercenary, contract killer, assassin, and a whole lot more that could best describe his occupation. In all honesty, any hunter can also fall into these categories.

Not every huntsman or huntresses have the best intention. Like Carmine Esclados and her partner Bertilak Celadon.

Sure, they hail from Vacuo, which is known for their lawlessness, but it didn't sit well with Jaune that they had legitimately graduated from Shade Academy. After working with them once, Jaune had the urge to feed them to the Grimms.

If only there was a bounty on their head…

Jaune crouched under his bed and pulled out a handful of medium-sized black cases. These were the ammunition reserves that he had hidden underneath the hollowed bed frame. He opened the cases and went over his inventory.

When he finished, he checked his scroll on for his next assignment.

_Client: Roman Torchwick_

_Msg: Jaune, it seems that this Cinder woman has forcefully recruit Roman Torchwick to her cause under the threat of death. The same one that tried to recruit Adam._

_However, they want out._

_The location is in the file. Make sure you follow the day and time precisely. I will not be in contact for a while. You will be on your own after you help Torchwick escape._

_END_

_[OPEN]_

"Are you serious?" Jaune said with a bewildered expression.

First, he had to bail Adam Taurus and his associates out of Cinder's grasp. Now he has the do the same for Torchwick? He was nearly incinerated by that pyromaniac. Not to mention almost getting his head kicked in by Marcus Black's son and whoever that green-haired girl is.

Of course, that one was worth it.

Jaune knows Adam Taurus personally. They were trained by the same person after all and they respected each other.

Yes, Adam was a little bit extreme, killed people though most of them deserved it, and was almost consumed by hate and spite until his student, Blake Belladonna, abandoned him in the middle of a mission. That seemed to shock him out of his near slippage into extremism.

Jaune wondered what Adam is doing before returning his attention to his assignment.

He was tempted to deny the request but stopped when he saw the reward that Roman promise. Now he was at a standstill in his decision making.

If he helped Roman Torchwick, he'll most definitely feel the heat from this Cinder woman. Not to mention the morality in helping one of Vale's notorious criminals.

Sure, there was Adam, but to be that was not an assignment. That was Jaune looking out after someone he can consider family. Even though Adam was that one screwed up family member…

Either way, what the SDC did to Adam was enough for Jaune to look the other way. At least, for most of Adam's action.

As for Roman, Jaune doesn't know why, but he simply hated the thief. Roman is nowhere near Greenley's level, not even by a long shot, but the guy really annoys him with his personality.

On the other hand, Compared to all the missions he has taken, Roman is probably the only criminal/client that has the least causality related incident tied to him. Roman and Neo have killed people, but those were almost always from a fight…

"So much for being morally light gray." He groaned and read through the entire file. After he finished, Jaune put his scroll away and laid on his bed.

Tomorrow he'll be flying to Vale.

/-/

Blake sulked through the streets of Vale. Her cat ears were hidden behind her black bow on top of her head.

She was on her way to meet with the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Ozpin, in order to enroll in the hunter academy.

It was nighttime and she would like to hurry to her destination. The city of Vale is lively even at night making her fatigue worsen.

'So noisy…' She mentally moaned. Blake darted into an alley and jumped onto the roof to escape from the crowd. The cool evening air breezed through her hair reminding her of the incident not long ago…

She abandoned Adam. She abandoned the White Fang.

Blake lost faith in the belief she clung throughout most of her life. She lost faith in the people she believed in. She lost faith in her family…

She tried to persuade Adam that blowing up the train full of innocent people was going too far, and he dismissed it.

In the midst of the battle against the spider droid, Blake decided to leave Adam.

"Goodbye." Was all she said when she cut the train cable. The image of Adam standing there, stunned, hand outreached burned into her mind.

Blake shook the thoughts from her mind and leaped across the roofs. As she near the bullhead docks, she halted as she saw a familiar figure sitting on one of the ventilation pipes.

Adam.

Blake staggered back, paralyzed with fear as Adam turned towards her. His Grimm mask gleaming underneath the moonlight.

Adam stood up and turned to face Blake. She tensed up as he opened his mouth.

"Blake, I'm… Sorry." He said as she rubbed the back of his neck.

Blake blinked and opened her mouth.

"Huh?"

Was all she could muster.

* * *

**SURPRISE! Adam does a heel-face turn in this story. **

**Fear not, Adam is more of Blake's big brother and teacher than a romantic interest. A bit protective...**

**Anyway, I want your feedback on this chapter. Don't be shy.**


	2. Chapter 1

**WARNING: Boring chapter. Don't worry, there will be some actions in the next chapter. **

**Addressing any pairings in this story... I don't actually have a particular pairing that I am going for. Jaune will be helping the other characters out with their problems, like Pyrrha's social issue, etc.**

**OCs - I like to limit my usage on OCs and would prefer to use existing characters like Lil' Miss Malachite, Arthur Watts, etc. as obstacles. That said, I do have some interesting OCs I would like to add in, but other than that... Yeah. **

**EDIT: Fixed the line breaks.**

**EDIT: Fixed a autocorrect regarding Schnee.**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

Restocking munition is a mixed bag for Jaune. It really depends on where he could get Dusts and supplies from any legal or illegal supplier.

Mistral is normally a good place to buy his munition; a large kingdom with many places to hide; many shady things to buy.

However, their wares have become limited due to the crackdowns, not to mention the turmoil in the criminal underworld. Jaune suspects that there are greater forces at work, but he'll investigate it later after this assignment.

He would have brought from the legitimate shops and suppliers, but due to some sort of weird trade agreement Mistral had with Atlas; the quality of Dusts and parts has become lackluster. He blames the Schnee Dusts Company for influencing Mistral's economic and trade officials.

With that said, Jaune has taken his business to Vale. The shops in Vale sells decent and legal wares, but their black market sells higher quality goods that come from all three kingdoms.

Vale is situated at the center of all three kingdoms. This means that legal and illegal goods can be 'easily' transported to Vale from Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo. The kingdom of Vale may not be lawless like Vacuo, or too large to enforce like Mistral, but the city does have its fair share of criminal activities.

Seriously, you can find known criminal groups walking out in the open.

The city of Vale is a central hub for the criminal underworld, which is perfect for black markets to thrive. Unfortunately, that also means that there are many black markets to choose from.

Too much in fact.

In order to get the best quality of Dusts and parts in a short amount of time; Jaune will need an information broker. It may seem trivial, but he is not willing to waste time sorting through the black market.

Especially when there is an assignment to do in a few days, and a crazy pyromaniac woman roaming the kingdom.

Two large doors slowly slid open as Jaune entered Junior's Club. The loud music vibrated in his skull as he caught sight of Roman talking to Junior.

Roman Torchwick seemed to be shaking Junior down in a business dealing judging by Junior's unhappy expression. The Malachite Sisters, Melanie, and Miltia stood behind him, heads hung low in shame or something.

"Yo, Junior!" Jaune hollered, causing all four of them to turn towards him.

"Jaune…" Junior cautiously said as he watched the blond boy stroll towards them with a smirk.

Roman's face didn't betray any expression of an acknowledgment as he recognized Jaune. Rather, he stuck to his causal smug smile as he walked towards the exit.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Junior." He said with a wave.

The flamboyant thief walked past Jaune with a smirk, while Jaune's smirk turned into a wide grin. Junior rubbed his head in distressed while the Malachite Sisters shuffled back.

"Junior, it's been a while." Jaune laughed. They reluctantly followed him when Jaune motioned them towards the counter. "Relax, I'm not here to hunt down anyone."

"Then why are you here, Jaune?" Junior asked keeping his distance from the youngster.

"I'm here on an assignment. I assure you that there's not a single bounty here to hunt down, but what I am here for is information."

"Information?" Junior waved away the Malachite Sisters who gladly walked back to their stand, overlooking the crowds. "What are you looking for?"

"Good quality Dusts and weapons part. I need your help in listing out prominent black-market sellers that sell those kinds of high-quality goods."

The burly man blinked before dawdling out a response. "You… Want me to point you to a good merchant?"

"Yup."

"You're capable of doing that yourself, why me?" Junior asked as he narrowed his eyes. He knew that Jaune has hung out around Vale's black market before, why did he need help on that matter?

"I'm on short notice here. I need to get these things within three days, Junior."

"Fine, but you do realize that unless I know what you are specifically looking for, I can't pinpoint the proper merchant."

Dusts are easy to come by. Munition and weapon parts, on the other hand, vary from seller to seller, especially in the black market.

However, Jaune already had a solution to that as he handed Junior a sheet of paper.

"Front and back. I took the liberty of sectioning the items that I need."

Junior read through the paper and raised an eyebrow. "Shotgun boots? You're buying parts to make a boot that can shoot?"

"Modifying my existing boots, actually." Jaune grinned as he clicked the heel of his boots together. "So far, these things only know how to use gravity Dusts to give me a boost. Or fly away when I need to. I met a kid with shotgun boots or greaves and he nearly put me down. Want to incorporate something similar."

"I see. Well, with this I can have all the merchant names tomorrow night. Anything else?"

"Hmm… I'll have a Sun-Soaked Death, please." He said as he turned towards the bartender. The bartender behind the counter looked confused, but Junior knew what Jaune wanted.

"I got this." He dismissed the bartender and went behind the counter. "My father's favorite, non-alcoholic drink. Salt?"

"A pinch of salt." Jaune hummed, putting several liens on the counter. "Haven't drunk one of those for a while."

"Everybody else is interested in buying cocktails and other alcoholic drinks here, not fruity drinks." Junior huffed as he slid the glass and drink coaster to Jaune.

"Not everyone is into alcohol." Jaune tugged on the drink coaster towards the edge of the counter and ripped the small taped key from under it. "Besides, I have to be sober."

Junior glanced around before leaning forward and whispered, "I'm not in the crossfire, am I?" He asked referring to the key that was given to him by a group of mysterious and dangerous people.

He may run a 'legitimate' business as a club owner, and 'secretly' a neutral information broker, but that doesn't make him immune to any danger by working with the wrong people.

"Relax, some nobody kidnapped a big shot's little boy. I rescued the little guy and doused the trafficker. He didn't even know who the kid was; just a fluke opportunity."

The man let out a sigh of relief before leaning back, rubbing his black beard. "That's good, I had enough trouble for the day."

"Is it because of Torchwick?" Jaune questioned, eager to know what the thief was up to.

"Yes, but I won't delve into the details." He kept his client's dealings private, otherwise, they wouldn't be doing business with him.

"Got it, here's a tip," Jaune said as he tossed a wad of lien at Junior who caught. "Thanks for the drink, I'll just be on my… Raven?!"

A blond-haired girl that looked almost identical to Raven walked towards the counter while taking note of Jaune's sudden outburst and recoil. She narrowed her eyes and zoned in on the blond boy.

"You called me Raven, right?" The blond Raven said slowly, "I don't think we met before."

"No, no we have not," Jaune said slightly relaxed. Now that he got a good look at her, she looks similar to Carmine Esclados as well. "My bad, you looked like someone I knew. Two in fact."

"Uh-huh." The blond Raven nodded, still keeping her lilac eyes trained on him. "Have you seen her before?" She asked, pulling up a picture on her scroll.

It was definitely Raven in the picture.

'Sisters? Most likely mother or aunt knowing Raven's age.'

"Raven Branwen, bandit queen of the Branwen tribe." Jaune started but was interrupted as the blond girl leaned in very close to him. "Whoa. Personal space, please."

"Tell me where to find her." She demanded with a cocky smirk.

Jaune was not amused, but he wasn't going to start a fight here. Especially since he needed Junior well and not upset with him in order to do his job. Speaking of Junior, the man had slowly backed out of the conversation and is far away keeping an eye on the two.

"The Branwen tribe migrates throughout the entire continent of Anima. Good luck finding them."

His answer didn't seem to amuse the blond girl; causing her to grab him by the collar.

"Not good enough." She growled, "You obviously know her if you mistake me for her. Tell me how to find her!"

"Yeah, I know her caused we both tried to kill each other, twice!" He half snarled, remembering the time Raven ruined his mission by relocating his targets with her semblance. "Why are you looking for her, huh?"

The blond girl was taken aback by his statement and released him. "I, Uh… Oh boy. This will be… Awkward."

"I can make a guess." He flatly stated, brushing his jacket to smooth out the wrinkles. "Let me guess, you're her daughter? Your auntie? Maybe sister, though I seem to doubt that roughly knowing her age… Don't tell her that."

"You got the first one right." She said, meekly rubbing her neck and looking away.

He wasn't exactly shocked that Raven has a daughter, though he did suspect that it was Vernal and not this palette swap of a Raven look-a-like. To top it all off, Raven's own flesh and blood appeared to be out of the loop judging by her incessant questionings regarding her.

If she's Raven's daughter… Does that mean Qrow Branwen is her uncle?

"If she's your mother, then do you know someone name Qrow?" Jaune asked, already scheming his petty revenge on the drunken man.

"My uncle. Don't tell me…"

"It was somewhat my fault," Jaune quickly explained, "I thought he was a member of the Branwen tribe, and by that, I assumed he was a murderous bandit. He gave me a bad impression by being a drunk and admitting that he's Raven's younger twin brother."

The blond girl looked stunned for a bit before letting out a long sigh. "Bad blood between us already, huh?"

"That's one way to put it. I don't believe I ever got your name, Goldilocks."

"Yang, Yang Xiao Long. I am so, so sorry about that." Yang said sincerely as she slightly lowered her head.

She may be brash, boisterous, and competitive, but the fact that her mother tried to kill someone around her age didn't sit well with her.

Yang is perfectly fine with hurting people, not killing them.

"Jaune Arc. At least you apologized for your actions. I assume that you have more questions for me?"

He has time to kill, plus she looks like a capable huntress-in-training to connect with. Not to mention his soon to be revenge on Qrow if she knows where he is. If he ever sees that drunk bastard again, he's going to make sure the flask Qrow drinks from won't be in one piece.

Seriously, who goes berserk over a scratch to a flask?

"Several." Yang confirmed with a nod.

"Well then, let's talk over there at that corner." He jerked his thumb at an empty table far off in the corner. "I have time, you?"

"Same. Lead the way, my fellow blonde."

/-/

"So, this Vernal girl is my mother's daughter replacement." Yang said with a very cold expression.

Her lilac eyes had flickered red as she glared at the short-haired girl in Jaune's scroll. The smug smile on Vernal's face mocked Yang causing her to grit her teeth in anger.

Why did her mother choose this bitch over her?

"More like her right-hand gal." He corrected, quickly putting away his scroll before Yang could crush it out of anger. "Vernal acts as Raven's enforcer to keep the other bandits in line, not sure how Raven treats her though."

"At least she knows her," Yang mumbled. The anger within her had cooled, leaving nothing but sorrow and confusion. "I just don't know why she would abandon me and my dad."

"Well, she was raised by a tribe of thieves and murderers. Maybe she thought that she wasn't a good parental figure or something?" Jaune guessed, trying to cheer her up.

Yang snorted, "Oh please, my uncle is nothing like them! He's the coolest uncle you'll ever have! She could have been just like him…"

"No offense, but I don't think having an uncle being drunk for the entirety of his life is cool."

"You haven't met him, yet." Jaune raised an eyebrow at her statement causing her to quickly add in, "I mean, you just haven't met him when you two aren't trying to kill each other. Eheh…" Yang awkwardly laughed.

"Right… Hm?" Jaune's scroll pinged notifying him that someone had just sent him a message. It's from Adam.

Adam: Where are you? Are you still in Mistral?

"Gotta go?" Yang asked.

"Not sure, yet. Hang on while I respond to this."

Jaune: I'm in Vale. What's up?

Adam: Really? I'm in Vale too, with Blake.

Adam's response caused Jaune to blink. What a coincidence…

Jaune: Stalker much? You didn't do anything to her, did you?

Adam: No! Just saying that I was sorry for losing myself! Anyway, where are you?

Jaune: In Junior's Club, but I might as well be packing up right now. I have an inn booked already. Rest Easy Inn, Room 192. Want to meet there?

Adam: Faunus friendly?

Jaune: Most likely, I saw some faunus walking around without issue.

Adam: Sounds good. We'll meet you there around 9:45?

Jaune: Sure, want something to eat? I know you like the food at Burger Shack.

Adam: Mushroom swiss jalapeno burger, large chili cheese fries, and red velvet milkshake… Blake will have what I am having. Chocolate on the milkshake.

Jaune: Got it. See you in 20 minutes.

Adam: Thanks, see you soon.

"Well, I gotta go run some errands for my partner," Jaune said as he got up. "Want to exchange numbers? I can help you with your search if you want."

"What? So, you can bring her and to me and my father? Why not?" Yang laughed as she pulled out her scroll. "Are you applying to Beacon Academy? You wouldn't have any issue getting in even without attending combat school knowing your experience."

That is if the stories Jaune told were real and not made up. Though Yang was pretty certain that some of the stories he talked about were real. Especially the part about her uncle. As for her mother, she'll have to take it up with her father or Qrow.

"No way, I'll die from boredom or have my skills worsen. Fighting huntsmen-in-training would be too easy!"

"Ha! You haven't fought me, yet!"

"Right…"

Yang playfully hit his back as they exited the club. "Let's fight someday then. Up for a bet?"

"A fight, yes. A bet, no."

"Oh, my blond kin that only loves a good fight. We might as well be twins!"

"Yang? Is that you?" A young voice called out to her.

A girl with black hair tipped with red stood at the center of the street. She wore a red cloak and a long sleeve black dress with a high collar.

"Oh! Hey sis!"

"Sis? Blood sister?" Glancing between Yang and the newcomer. "Did you dye your hair, Yang? I knew it was too good to be true finding another fellow blonde."

"I do not dye my hair!" She responded with a punch to the shoulder. "That's my half-sister, Ruby."

"That's me! By the way, what are you doing here? And who's that?" Ruby asked as she skipped over to them.

"Oh, it's a long story. This is Jaune, by the way. I met him at the club just now."

"Jaune Arc. And yes, the story is long enough to be a… Story arc!"

"Haha, yes! We are twins!" Yang laughed and high fived Jaune over the puns.

Ruby, on the other hand, had a fearful look on her face. "Oh no! They're multiplying!" She wailed, pulling the red hood over her head.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Yang protested as she put Ruby in a headlock. "Besides, Jaune's cool."

"Not the puns!" Ruby still whined as she courageously withstood her sister's noogie.

Jaune chuckled as he remembered how his older sisters would do the same to him. Flashbacks aside, he'll have to be quick in order to buy food for Adam, Blake, and himself.

"I would love to hang out, but I got to go. A pleasure meeting you two." Jaune said with a bow.

He ran off and activated the gravity Dusts in his boots, causing green pulses to burst out and flinging him into the air. Jaune somersaulted over multiple buildings and landed on the other side. He performed this action repeatedly until Burger Shack was in view.

Meanwhile, Yang and Ruby were left behind; watching Jaune disappear over the buildings.

"Whoa…" Ruby said in awed as she watched Jaune maneuvered over the buildings.

"Huh, no wonder he was able to get away from Qrow." And her mother, but Yang choose to leave that part out.

"Wait, he knows uncle Qrow?!" Her sister squawked, "And what's was that about running away from him?"

"Eh, I'll tell you later. Come on sis!"

/-/

"Blake, who in their right mind would wear shades at night unless they're blind?" Adam grumbled as he pulled his black beanie down to cover his red hair.

"Well, you did say that you didn't like your eyes being exposed and you can 'see' well with your eyes covered…" Blake held onto one of Adam's arms to give off the impression that he was blind.

Their disguises helped covered their faunus feature.

Blake with her black bow covering her ears, and Adam with his beanie. The shades were there because Adam said he felt 'naked' without anything covering his eyes.

"I feel like I am standing out more with these shades on."

"Well, we could move somewhere more obstructive."

"… No, Jaune's here."

A blond human carrying a large bag walked up to the stairs and signaled them to follow him with his eyes.

'So, this is Jaune.' Blake thought as Jaune grinned at Adam.

"Yo, I hope you're hungry." He quipped.

"We barely had anything for lunch." Adam responded coolly, "Of course, we'll be hungry."

"Well, then. Let's get to my room before we eat and catch up." He said as he handed Adam the food bag.

Jaune's room was on the first floor, all the way near the right-wing of the inn. He unlocked the door and entered the room checking to see if anyone had been through here before he did.

"All clear," Jaune said as he pressed a series of buttons on his gauntlet. "No bugs as far as I'm concerned."

"Great, I'm starving." Adam said as he pushed past Jaune and set the large bag down.

The trio dug into their meal and savored the taste that Burger Shack is well known for. After wolfing down their burgers and chili cheese fries, Jaune and Adam caught up on what they were doing.

Jaune started off by talking about the recent assignment that he finished at Mistral. The mission regarding the disgraced Atlesian Specialists, Greenley Brookberry.

"Wait, you fought against Greenley?" Blake said with an incredulous expression.

Every member of the White Fang had heard of Greenley and his atrocities that he inflicted on the White Fang and regular civilians.

Adam rubbed his forehead in annoyance, removing his beanie and shades in the process.

"Yup nearly died twice. Hey, the skin discoloration from the surgery is gone." Jaune said, taking note that the skin around Adam's left eye no longer had that reddish coloration.

"Yeah, it's been years already since it went away." Adam said, gently tracing around his left eyes.

The SDC brand scar that was seared onto his eye was removed during the skin reconstruction surgery. Courtesy of their master, of course.

"Wait, what?!"

Adam ignored Blake's outburst and fixed his glare on Jaune.

"Let me get this straight. You went after Greenley."

"Yup."

"You nearly died twice."

"Yup."

"Damn it, Jaune." The redhead threw his hand in the air, exasperated. "Remember what our master said? Don't bite off more than you can chew!"

"Hey, I took him down at least. Well, I did have some help from a huntress-in-training. A skilled one, but she nearly died as well…"

"Uh, hello?" Blake interrupted with a wave. "I have several questions here."

"Later." Adam and Jaune answered simultaneously, causing Blake to sit back and pout.

"What happened if she wasn't there, Jaune? What happened if she dies because of you? That is if you care about her, but you can't keep acting recklessly."

"I know, I know." Jaune said with a sigh, "I got good intel that Greenley was nearby and I couldn't help but take this opportunity to score a big bounty."

"Are you really that greedy, or a thrill-seeker?"

"I'm a pragmatic guy."

"Death seeker it is then."

"Hey, I am not suicidal!"

"Whatever," Adam waved off the conversation before starting another one. "So… Greenley, how strong is he?"

It was a small 'game' that they played. How well the opponent's they faced would fare against the other; a theoretical duel.

"Hard to say, Greenley was definitely on another level compared to most professional huntsmen. I got lucky and fried most of the stuff that was on him. The only thing he had was a few bullets and his weapon, some falx sword that can shift into a rifle."

"Fighting style? Semblance?"

"Mostly an aggressive, anti-defensive fighting style that pairs lethally well with his weapon. He takes advantage of his opponent's defensive stance, but he does have a solid defense with a nasty counterattack. I wouldn't recommend using any bullets until you can catch him off guard or if he's at a disadvantage. I wasted nearly all my bullets on him.

As for his semblance, from what I can gather; his semblance lets him put the 'stun' in his punch and kicks… Hard to explain, but every time he hits or kicks me I feel disorientated. I've been on the receiving end from blunt weapons to the head before, but nothing like Greenley's. He can't seem to apply it to his weapon though."

"He doesn't sound too tough." Adam mused, "Is he fast?"

"He has a good reaction time alright. He can't move as fast as you, but he can hit quite fast when he needs to."

"Hmm… So, I'm with the speed advantage."

"Yup, you'll have no problem escaping from him. If you're forced to fight him, I think an open field with lots of space would give you a huge advantage. Otherwise, you might be in for a rough fight. Greenley was a close quarter combat instructor, so I don't think it's a good idea to take him on 1v1."

"Like you?"

"Like me. Soul crushing regret."

Adam snorted and took a drink out of his red velvet milkshake. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Still, haven't thanked you for saving me and what's left of my crew from that Cinder lady."

"Not a problem, Adam."

"Speaking of Cinder, I recently found out that Cinder had been appealing to the more… Extreme elements within the White Fang."

Blake, who was slouched back on the soft chair, perked up when she heard about the White Fang. "Is it the human lady and her two lackeys that came to our camp before we hit the train?"

"The same one." Adam confirmed, "I nearly got incinerated when she came back to force us into servitude. She killed nearly all of the guys at the camp as well…"

"And nearly cremated us the second time when I came to bail everyone out."

"Yes, poor timing on your end." Adam dryly said as he remembered how Jaune blatantly flew his personal airship overhead. "You were lucky that they didn't know you were with me. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let us scatter."

"Yeah, my bad." He apologized, "But it worked, and I got everyone out of there."

"At the cost of you fighting against those three. If it weren't for those flashbangs and Dusts grenade you were blindly throwing, we wouldn't have made it."

"Okay, so you guys made it out alive. What's this about the extreme element in the White Fang?" Blake asked.

"After I escaped, Cinder has been seeking an audience with White Fang leaders that held a more… Extreme view in the White Fang's goal. Rather than fighting for faunus rights, they were more into enslaving humans and believing in faunus superiority.

"Enslave them?!" The cat faunus said with horror. "Don't tell me that they actually listened to her?!"

"Sadly, it looked like they are listening to her. At least, forced to." Adam growled, "I'm ashamed that I was almost one of them."

"Just throwing this out there so you guys don't get too careless. I got a request from Roman Torchwick to bail him and his partner out from Cinder's grasped as well."

"Wait, hold up! You mean Cinder is here? In the city of Vale?!" Adam automatically stood up in shock.

"It would seem so." Jaune replied causally, "Sit down and rest for the night. I got three days till my assignment starts."

"How can you-" Adam and Blake started to admonish him, but Jaune refused to listen.

"Quiet! Let me do my job. I don't need you two making things more complicated for me. Especially you, Adam." He glowered at the red-haired faunus.

"How do I know you won't be reckless like your previous assignment, or your previous bailout?"

"Because I have no intention of facing Cinder. I'll be relocating Roman to one of his safehouses out of the kingdom, and if you're worried about Blake, you said she'll be attending Beacon right? She'll be fine there."

Adam sat down and rubbed his forehead, again.

"You're taking years off my life, Jaune."

"Sorry… Oh, I forgot to give you this." Jaune tossed a large wad of lien at Adam who caught it with a surprised expression. "Look, you two. Just hang out here for the night."

"Fine." Adam conceded.

"If you insist…" Blake said, hesitantly. "So, who gets the bed?" She asked eyeing the queen-sized bed in the room.

"Blake can have the bed." Jaune suggested, "I can take the floor or the adjustable chair."

"Same." Adam agreed.

"No, I can take the chair or floor. I'm used to it."

"All the more reason for you to take this chance to enjoy it."

"I insist." Blake was already thankful for Jaune's generosity. She would feel bad if she were to accept any more of his generosity.

Jaune glanced at Adam and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you say so… Me and Adam can take the bed then."

"What?!" Blake practically shrieked, face turning bright red. Her thoughts trailed back to her book, Ninjas of Love.

Jaune and Adam, sharing a bed?!

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, alarmed at Blake's sudden outburst.

Jaune, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. Her reaction reminds him of his sister that's been reading those kinds of book.

'Don't tell me.'

"You… Read yaoi… Don't you?" Jaune cautiously asked.

"W-w-w-what?! I-I don't know what y-you're talking about!" Blake stammered, looking very flustered.

"My sister read yaoi, and she had the same reaction as you when I hang out with any boys." He said with an unamused expression.

"Wait, what?" Adam squawked, surprised by Blake's taste in books.

"S-slander!"

"Uh-huh… This is going to be a long night."

* * *

**It's a shame that I have interesting concepts, but can only make half decent stories. **

**Anyone is free to adopt any stories from me. **


	3. Chapter 2

**Fun fact: I had five pages that cut content that I planned to have on this chapter. **

**I will also be uploading new stories, some of which a friend of mine wants to put up. I just have to edit it since she's not that good at writing despite being in an arts major.**

**EDIT: Fixed the alignment.**

**EDIT: Fixed removed some extra words and conflicting location. The Throne Room for the White Fang is in Mistral/Anima, not Menagerie.**

**EDIT: Removed some extra wordings.**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

His assignment had been moved a day ahead. Cinder left Vale a few hours ago and Roman really want out as he wasn't sure when Cinder would return.

It was now or never.

Being urgently pushed by Neo, Jaune had to hastily put on his hooded, dark blue combat uniform and respirator just in case he is forced to fight. When dealing or working with criminal elements, always be mysterious.

Anyway, after that ordeal, the petite young woman with pink and brown hair was lounging lazily behind him as they wait for Roman to meet at the agreed extraction point. According to the message Roman gave to Neo, Cinder left during the late afternoon in search of more unfortunate souls to join her cause.

There was also an awkwardness in the timing.

Roman had planned an operation to steal Dust at the city with Junior's goon and Cinder as the getaway pilot. With Cinder gone, he'll have to rely on other getaway drivers or escorts to drive away any professional huntsman, which Roman assured Cinder that he already has one; much to her interest.

Of course, Roman could have easily ditched the plan he made and jumped ship immediately, but that would send red flags. Not something Roman wants to do when Cinder has the White Fang reporting to her if he doesn't go through with his plan.

…

Adam sat at the cockpit with Jaune, watching the hacked cams as one of Junior's men came flying out of the store's window. Well, more like literally kicked out of the store by a familiar figure in a red cloak.

"Is that… Ruby?" Jaune asked himself out loud, shocked that this innocent looking girl was actually a huntress-in-training. Amplified by fact that she wields a gigantic scythe that's also a sniper rifle…

If he can remember, Yang Xiao Long's uncle is Qrow Branwen, that must mean that Ruby is also his niece. Did that drunk actually teach Ruby to wield a scythe? He could see some resemblance to her fighting style matching Qrow's.

"You know her?" Adam asked, looking amused as Junior's men were easily thrashed by her.

"Only her sister. We had a brief introduction, but that's about it." He responded, watching how Roman easily distracted her with a shot from his cane and was now fleeing the scene. "Looks like Roman took this opportunity to get out of there, come on let's go!"

Jaune started up his airship that was currently disguised as a mini airbus; courtesy his and Neo's semblance. The airship climbed attitude as they flew towards the building Roman was climbing and readied the searchlights to prevent Ruby from getting a clear shot at him.

"We got a problem." Adam pointed at the hacked feed, showing a blond woman with a purple cape jumping onto a roof several meters away.

"A huntress, oh boy… Neo!"

Neo leaped from her seat and hurried towards Jaune, hands out. He gently grasped her hand and channeled his semblance to amplify hers.

/-/

"Hey!" Ruby shouted as Roman came to halt near the edge of the building.

"Persistent." He noted, grinning as his ride arrived. The searchlight beamed on their max settings; blinding Ruby as Roman entered the mini airbus. "End of the line, Red!" He shouted, throwing a fire Dust crystal at her and shooting it to ensure a wonderful explosion.

Roman whooped with amusement before taking notice that a figure dropped from the sky, shielding Ruby from the blast.

As the smoke cleared, a large purple glyph was seen rotating in front of a blond lady with a purple cape.

"Hm." The huntress hummed, analyzing her opponents.

Ruby opened her eyes and dropped her defensive curl and watched as the huntress swiped her riding crop, sending several streaks of purple at the airbus. The airbus staggered slightly as the purple bolts struck against its side and wings.

Seeing that the airbus was quickly getting away, the huntress readied her riding crop and glowed brightly and unleashed a purple flare into the sky. The flare exploded outward into a circular glyph, summoning dark clouds overhead, and raining ice shards down onto the airbus.

A high pitch sound suddenly assaulted the huntress's ear forcing her to stagger back and in turn, preventing any more hail of ice shards from materializing. She gritted her teeth and channeled her semblance once more, summoning a large glyph in front of her.

Unfortunately, it did not block the entirety of the sound cannon, but it was enough for her to concentrate and channel large amounts of energy into her next attack.

"Watch out!" Ruby called out as several figures dropped from the sky.

All of them were dressed in some sort of dark blue, hooded combat uniform or whatever. Their face was concealed underneath a respirator and night vision goggle, and wielded identical weapons; a red saber sword and a pistol.

The huntress grunted and snapped her riding crop, sending three of them sprawling on the ground. Ruby blurred across the rooftop, twirling her giant scythe, forcing them to maneuver around her.

It seems that their main focused is dealing with the huntress, and not with Ruby as they skillfully danced around her.

Meanwhile, the huntress blocked several shots fired from the dark blue ninjas and returned several bolts of purple energy at them. They dodged at the last second and continued to make their way towards her, futilely firing their weapons.

"Hmph." Raising her riding crop, she easily pulled them into the air and struck them with her semblance; letting them drop to the floor like ragdolls.

As for Ruby, she was having a hard time trying to land a single hit. Her scythe blurred in red and silver, glimmering underneath the moonlight as she tried to outmaneuver her agile opponents. It was no use. Her opponents simply didn't see her as an opponent and slipped past her with ease.

Ruby was able to catch up to them with her speed and semblance, but it was moot as they duck and weaved around her assault like flowing water.

A whistling sound emitted from the large glyph as several large beams of purple light sailed into the sky, streaking towards the airbus that was getting farther and farther away. The airbus tried to avoid the huntress attack, but failed and was struck multiple times, shattering the entire airbus in the process.

Wait… Shattered?

The huntress frowned as the airbus fractured like glass; shards scattered into the sky and evaporating into the night.

The ninjas also shattered, leaving a befuddled Ruby who was left wondering if it was all an illusion. She quickly snapped out of her daze and stared in awe at the huntress next to her.

Unlike herself, this huntress dealt with those ninja looking guys with ease! She can't help but be excited as she may one day just be as amazing as her!

"You're a huntress! Can I have her autograph?" She squealed cutely while making puppy eyes.

/-/

Neo slumped on a large cushion seat, looking tired as she had expanded a large amount of energy in maintaining and moving her physical illusions. Even with Jaune's semblance amplifying hers, the amount of concentration it took was no easy feat.

Especially since the bulk of it was used to fortify his airship so that any damage done to the ship would be dealt to the illusion instead.

She'll be asking some favors from him soon…

Meanwhile in the cockpit, Roman gave Jaune the coordinates for his safehouse that he bought years ago. It was one of the few properties that he owned and wasn't confiscated by the authorities when he was arrested.

"Mistral, huh?" Jaune mused, "Should had figured you would go there. Vacuo and Atlas just isn't right for someone trying to getaway. Well, Vacuo is, but you hate sand."

"Vacuo?!" Roman said with displeasure, "How can I maintain my high-class in that wasteland?"

"You'll make a great crime lord." Jaune pointed out.

"Not interested. I won't go there even if they offered me to be their king! Oh, and thanks for the save, kid." Roman tipped his hat and walked out of the cockpit, "You too, Neo."

Neo grinned and hoarded three cushioned seats as she turned on the television mounted in the back. Roman sat down and enjoyed the televised series that was currently being played, some sort of action crime thriller show.

"I thought you had motion sickness," Adam said flatly to Jaune, remembering the horrible time he had when he was in the same airship with Jaune.

"I grew out of it," Jaune said, lips twitching. "Also, there's nothing wrong with having motion sickness."

In the back, Roman was enjoying himself as he placed his hat to the side and let the air conditioning ruffle his hair.  
"I gotta say, kid. You have a comfortable ride."

"Thanks! I do my best to please."

"Where did you get this airship? Atlesian by design, it seems. Luxurious and custom-made interior… Equipped with civilian grade weaponry." Roman nodded as he looked out the window, taking note of the sound cannon and other armaments.

"I had connections."

"So, do I."

"Trade secrets."

"I'll double your rewards."

"You know the company that builds Atlesian military airships?"

"Damn it, Jaune." Adam facepalmed.

"It's a deal I can't resist, Adam." He replied with a grin.

"There is only one Atlesian company that has a monopoly in that sector, yes."

"The current CEO happens to run a side business in making off-the-chart airships and other vehicles. Though, he will often triple the price for whatever you want to build."

"Interesting." Roman mused before returning to his TV program.

Adam sighed and shook his head at Jaune's slimy business dealings. "It starts with the smallest things, Jaune."

"I know, Adam. I know. So, Roman. Got any ideas on what Cinder is up too?"

Jaune doesn't have much intel on Cinder. The women practically appeared out of nowhere and started forcing or killing people for some reason. From what he could gather, she's up to something big and it's probably nothing good.

Roman's excessive Dust robbery, the sudden high trafficking of military technology and weapons is sending a huge red flag to Jaune. It's like she's building an army, and it looks like the White Fang, along with other shadowy groups, are being roped in as well.

Roman brushed his hair aside and shrugged, "All I was ordered to do is steal Dust and stockpile them at several warehouses. The White Fang was later thrust upon me, and suddenly, my warehouses became a pound for those anim-"

Adam growled, "Don't finish that sentence."

"Roman." Jaune half-sighed and warned.

"Anyway," Roman quickly changing the subject, not wanting to get into any more trouble than he already is in. "Cinder didn't tell me what's her grand scheme of things is. She just suddenly, out of the blue… Told me that she has somewhere to be, people to meet."

Adam snorted, "More like, join or die. I'm certain that's the standard offer for just about anyone working under her."

He remembered the feeling of his skin slowly burning up. The suffocation of every single water in his body drying and fizzling away as she stood over him, smiling. It wasn't hard for anybody that values their life or had some self-preservation, to submit to her will. Especially the gruesome death they would suffer if they choose otherwise.

"What he said," Roman pointed at Adam, "So, Cinder herded your flock away from you, huh, Adam Taurus?"

"That entire cell has been compromised with extreme elements," Adam stated bluntly, "and I will be making sure that those elements are purged from the White Fang."

He'll be returning to Anima to discuss how they should deal with the extremists with Sienna and the other leaderships. No doubt, they will not be pleased that a human is using the White Fang as a tool for her ploy, much less twist it against their goals of equal rights.

"So, I heard from the middleman." Roman huffed, taking out a cigar. "Mind if I smoke?" He asked Jaune.

"Yes, this is a designated non-smoking area."

"I'll triple your rewards."

"No, and no amount that you give me will change my mind." There is no way he'll let Roman stink up his airship with his cigars. This airship is his living quarters as well!

"Fine." Roman rolled his eyes and placed the cigar back in his coat. Neo sat up and patted him on the back.

The conversion died down as the trip to Mistral continued. Well, except for the television blabbing about the greatest heist to have ever taken place.

Jaune was fortunate that he was able to buy everything that he needed back at Vale. The only thing he wasn't able to do, is to make use of them. He pulled up his to-do list and skimmed through the content.

_Restock on Dust… Check!_  
_Weaponized his combat boots to fire an assortment of bullets… Nope!_  
_Modified his Dust armaments… Check!_  
_Craft his pepper spray and grenades… Nope!_  
_Fix his gauntlet's flamethrower… Nope!_  
_Congratulate Pyrrha for winning her fourth tournament… Check!_  
_Connect Yang with Pyrrha so that she will have another friend… Not yet!_  
_Give Blake lien so that Adam doesn't have to… Check!_  
_Encourage Blake to not hide her Faunus heritage… Failed, we tried!_

In his line of work, being overly prepared and armed with an assortment of weapons and tools is a necessity. He encountered a lot of opponents that could have easily kill him should he fall short on any of those principles.

Greenley was definitely one of them.

There were other 'principles' he adhered to, but those two are his current focus for now.

"Ah, shoot…" Jaune moaned as he forgot to gather more intel back at Vale.

"Something wrong?" Adam asked.

"Not really, I just forgot to ask the information brokers back at Vale if they know anything about Cinder and a few other dangerous people I've been tracking."

"That's not like you." Adam ridiculed, "And you're the one that's been mocking me when I don't gather enough intel."

"The irony." Jaune replied sarcastically, "But yeah, this was on short noticed… Seen this guy before?" Jaune showed Adam his scroll; pointing at one particular individual.

"Never seen him before. Someone I should know?" He asked, memorizing the face of a middle-aged man with a long ponytail and crazy yellow eyes.

"Tyrian Callows, one of our master's contact before he went rogue. He's a scorpion faunus, so watch out for the tail behind his coat."

"I see. The others?"

"These three are Greenley's lieutenants, still on the loose. This guy is Duke, very dangerous, run if you see him, especially when he's alone. Oh, and that one is Marcus Black, but he's been confirmed dead; most likely due to Cinder."

Not that Jaune misses the assassin anyway; he loathed the man. A violent alcoholic that is also a capable assassin with a deadly semblance. A semblance that allows him to strip an individual of their own semblance.

"Someone, you knew?"

"A competitor and temporary ally. He won't be missed, really."

He'll have to take this up with Lil' Miss Malachite and her Spiders. The Mistral equivalent of Junior's information brokerage service, only her group has a far better information network than his. Not to mention having more competent fighters than Junior's henchmen; in case Jaune ever needs the extra manpower. Not that he had ever worked with them before, only their associates.

Adam grunted before changing the subject, "How's master doing?"

"I'm guessing he's fine, but he did say he won't be in contact for a while and that I will be on my own."

"I see. I'll be sure to send him an apology message soon."

"He'll forgive you."

"I know he would, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

"True…"

They stayed silent throughout the entire ride, enjoying the tranquility before the storm. From here on out, things are about to get difficult and possibly, complicated.

/-/

Cinder calmly strolled into the opera house, glancing at the spider symbols that were cleverly concealed on the pillars and walls. Emerald and Mercury walked behind her followed by Hazel Rainart; a large man, standing nearly eight feet tall and wearing a two-toned olive-green coat. His dark brown beard was trimmed, and his hair brushed to the side.

He silently followed the trio deeper into the large building while carrying two large cases, ignoring the moving shadows that lurked in areas where the lights weren't lit.

They were delving into the Spiders territories. A criminal syndicate that also functions as an information broker; run by someone named Lil' Miss Malachite.

"Hazel." Cinder said coolly.

"What is it?" He rumbled.

"You dealt with these… Spiders before. I'll leave you to handle the negotiations."

Hazel sighed, "If you had listened to me, these negotiations would have been much simpler. Intruding into their stronghold won't make things easier for any of us." Entering the Spider's territories unannounced and at one of their important strongholds; this will not bode well.

"Oh Hazel, I believe you underestimate us."

"Yeah, how tough can these guys be?" Mercury chimed in. He confidently walked with his hands behind his head while staring up at murals in the ceiling.

"Even your father would think twice about upsetting them." Hazel flatly stated.

Mercury's face turned slightly bitter at the mention of his deceased bastard of a father, "He's always an ass kisser to his employers."

"And with good reasons." The large man retorted, "You do not join or work with the Spiders by having mediocre skills. We're entering one of their main hideouts, and the people here will not be your average thug. I suggest you do not provoke them."

Mercury went silent with an unreadable expression, while Emerald smirked at his attempted machoism. A rarity of someone shutting Mercury up, at least, for a while.

"All the reason why Lil' Miss Malachite and her Spiders will be a very valuable asset to us." Cinder purred.

"All the more reason why you should not threaten or kill anyone of them. The Spiders have a wide network of information and connections throughout the kingdoms. If you get on her bad side, you'll find yourself having a difficult time looking for help."

Cinder merely smiled as she raised an arm to pull open one of the large double doors that leads to the performance room. Hazel put one of the large cases down and placed his hand on the doors, preventing Cinder from entering.

"Hazel." Cinder warned, but the large man did not waver and instead glowered at her.

"Don't." He warned, "I know you see them as another group of criminals for you to use and dispose of, but your overconfidence will only make things difficult for you. Adam Taurus escaped from your grasp because of it, and if you think they won't do the same to you…"

"I know." Cinder spat out, remembering how they failed to prevent Adam and the remainder of his underlings from escaping. "I will not make the same mistake again."

"We will see," Hazel said in a low voice as he pushed open the double doors. Emerald and Mercury heaved the large case that Hazel put down and followed their superiors through the door.

They were greeted with an army of armed crooks with spider tattoos, blocking their path. A chubby woman stood on a large stage with purple curtains.

"That's far enough." She said southern accent. "In case y'all didn't notice, you just walked into the Spider's Web."

* * *

**Lil' Miss Malachite and her Spiders are quite formidable as seen in the artwork RWBY: Combat Ready** **board game.**

**I mean, one of them _punched Weiss _into a wall, _barehanded_! Maybe Weiss isn't all that impressive, but that's still something.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Pardon my grammar.**

**EDIT: Menagerie is not where Sienna and the other leaders are located at. They are in Mistral along with the Throne Room.**

**EDIT: Fixed a spelling error.**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" Yang celebrated by crushing her sister with a hug.

Ruby made an awkward face that screams of agony and embarrassment. "Please stop. Not in front of your friend…"

They were currently on an airbus headed towards Beacon Academy when Jaune decided to drop in on Yang with a call.

His intention? Introduce Pyrrha to the duo since she has been awfully shy, like Ruby. He still owes Pyrrha a lot for saving him twice during his fight against Greenley, and he intends on returning the favor.

Ruby and Yang seemed to be people who would get along with Pyrrha and not exploit her celebrity status; especially Ruby. Jaune is, after all; a good reader of a person's character. Having worked with ruthless, but deceptively friendly and carefree clients tend to do that to you.

The short conversation he had with Yang back at Junior's club gave him a decent amount of information about her background, funny stories, and personality. In a nutshell, Yang is outgoing, likes a good fight, a bit arrogant, brash, insecure at times, and easily angered, but definitely caring as seen with the current scene playing out in front of him.

Plus, she seems to care more about having a good fight then a person's social status. Having been popular herself at Signal Academy, Yang seemed to understand that despite the prestige some people may hold, they are still people.

As for Ruby…

"No, no. Don't mind me." Jaune laughed, "Congratulations on enrolling at Beacon Academy, Ruby. I wish you luck with your initiation. You too, Yang."

"Thanks," Ruby replied with an awkward smile.

"We're so proud of her." Yang wiped a fake tear, face brimming excitement and elation.

"Really, sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean it was nothing? It was incredible! You stopped a Dust robbery that was being committed by Roman Torchwick! Did I tell what she did, Jaune?"

Jaune smiled, already knowing the role that Ruby played in 'stopping' Roman considering that he was there. "Yup, you told me twice."

"Heck yeah, I did! My baby sister made the Roman Torchwick flee like my first boyfriend meeting our father! Oh, everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

'Say what now?' Jaune raised an eyebrow at Yang's remark. Particularly, the one regarding her first boyfriend.

Ruby tilted her head slightly downward with a dejected expression. She wasn't as outgoing like her sister and being highlighted as someone special was one of the last things she wanted.

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees!" Ruby whined while her sister looked on amused, "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

'Just like Pyrrha.' He noted and grinned at the girl on the second channel who was also listening to their conversation.

"Okay, okay. I get it, but aren't you excited?"

The crimson reaper still had her dejected expression, "Of course I'm excited… I just… I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

"Aw." Said Jaune and the girl on the second channel, not that the sisters heard it clearly.

Yang put an arm around Ruby and gave her a side hug in an attempt to comfort her. "But you are special. Special in your ow-" A news reporting interrupted Yang; explaining an incident relating a Dust robbery led by Roman Torchwick. It was… Somewhat awkward for Jaune. "Eh, let's continue this conversation further away." Yang said as she pulled her sister towards the window, "Oh hey, we're almost at Beacon Academy. Sorry Jaune, we might have to cut this short."

Jaune dismissed her apology, "That's fine. I actually have someone I would like you to meet."

Ruby and Yang garnered a curious expression.

"Oh yeah, you did say something about that earlier… Are you introducing us to your girlfriend?" Yang joked, "How bold."

"Just a friend that I made during my missions. She's a little bit socially awkward, like Ruby."

"Hey!"

"And also wants to be a normal girl with normal knees." Jaune cleared his throat, "May I present to you, Pyrrha Nikos." He merged the communication channel allowing the girl to appear on the group call.

"Hello there." Pyrrha waved, putting on her professional smile.

Ruby gasped, recognizing the now four-time champion of Mistral Regional Tournament, "It's Pyrrha Nikos! Uh, I mean. H-hi… I'm Ruby."

Pyrrha chuckled at the crimson reaper's bashfulness, "Nice to meet you, Ruby."

"Wow, Jaune. You really do get around." Yang whistled, "Hey, I'm Yang. Nice to meet ya!"

"Nice to meet you as well, Yang."

"Great!" Jaune clapped his hand, "We're all introduced to one another. So, Pyrrha here will be attending Beacon and is looking to make friends that see her as Pyrrha Nikos and not the four-time champion of Mistral Regional Tournament. A normal girl with normal knees."

Yang nodded, understanding the burden of being 'up there' on the social structure. "I see what you're doing. That's pretty sweet of you."

"It's the least I can do for her right now."

"You already did a lot for me." Pyrrha pointed out, "And I am very grateful you are helping me with this."

He smiled in return, "It's no biggie."

"Wait! So, are you asking us to be her friend?" Ruby asked.

"Yup." Jaune and Yang answered simultaneously while popping the 'p'.

"As the old saying goes. 'It's lonely at the top'." Said Jaune.

Ruby took a brief moment to run on the quote. "Oh, I guess that does make sense. Maybe not for my sister, but…"

Yang cut in, "Actually, Rubes. Being popular at Signal wasn't… As great as it looked."

Jaune tilted his head towards Pyrrha, "She's definitely kin." She giggled at that while listening and nodding at Yang's difficulties of being popular.

"… And then there's the people that used you to get closer to me." Yang nearly spat out the last part, her eyes turning red as she cracked her knuckles with mild anger. "I still cannot believe they would do such a thing to my baby sister. I swear…"

Ruby had an embarrassed look, "Yang, it's okay. We're no longer going to Signal anyway."

"No, it is not okay."

"Told you I'm a good judge of character." Jaune sang, "I think you guys will be great friends."

"I-if that's okay with Pyrrha," Ruby responded meekly.

Pyrrha smiled, "I would love to be your friend." She said causing Ruby to smile.

"She's in good hands, Jaune." Yang said, "Hey Pyrrha, where are you landing? We should see if we can find a place to meet up."

"That sounds grand! I'm…"

A feed cut their conversation short as a familiar woman with green eyes, glasses, purple cape, and blond hair appeared. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon!"

Yang and Ruby glanced at each other, "Who's that?" Yang asked.

'A scary huntress that tried to end us.' Jaune mentally responded.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

"Noted." Jaune said, "I'll leave you guys be. Talk to you guys later, good luck!"

"Bye, Jaune."

"See ya later!"

"Bye Jaune. Thank you so much."

"No problem. See you guys later. Oh! And if you see Blake, a girl with black hair and bow with yellow eyes. Tell her me and Oxford said hello and good luck. Bye." He hung up the call and sat back to stretch his arms. "Let's get to work." He said as he picked up three sheets of paper.

Wanted posters.

Two are from the Oni No Su, one of Mistral's notorious criminal syndicate while the last one is from the Mistralian authorities. Jaune's particular focus is on the official wanted poster, not because he's interested in getting the target's bounty, but because this individual may have some information that is of use to him.

He put on his jacket, checked the chambers of all his firearms, and sheathed his Dust infused knife and retractable sword.

"Alright, let's go." He said to himself as he headed out to one of the Oni No Su hangouts. The Demon's Den.

/-/

Situated deep under a casino establishment is a network of lobbies for thieving scums, murderous thugs, and oily black-market merchants. This is one of the Oni No Su dens, the Demon's Den.

Sitting in one of the hangout centers is a man in his late twenties. His lavender-colored hair was slightly combed but messy, and his blue-gray coat was well ironed.

The man smiled to himself and took out several stacks of Lien to place on the table. After a few minutes of spreading the stacks foolishly out on the table, he was disappointed that the only reaction he got was a few glances from his surroundings. No one was trying to take the well laid out cash from him despite being in a den full of thieves and killers!

How was he going to get a decent crew here if they can't take a risk to steal?

He turned his head slightly when he heard someone walking towards him, only to be disappointed by who it is. A teenager with blond hair and blue eyes was walking towards him with a mirthless smile.

"Piker." The blondie greeted him.

The man narrowed his eye a bit all while retaining his smile, "Mors, so good of you to be here."

Mors.

An alias Jaune uses when he's out in criminal underworld. Of course, there are times where he'll use his real name as a sign that he is 'trusting'. Junior and Roman Torchwick being some of them, not that they rat him out.

He has several leverages against them if worse comes to worst.

"I rather be upstairs than down here."

"Ah, but legitimate gambling is so boring." Piker chuckled darkly, "Unless… You're here to gamble against me." He tensed, ready to unsheathe his weapon.

Jaune raised his arms as a sign of non-hostility, "Relax, I'm not here to collect your bounty. Too small anyway." And tossed Piker's wanted poster at the man himself.

Piker took a look at the wanted poster and burst out laughing, "I'm hurt! I guess I'm just not worth the risk, huh? Come, take a seat."

Jaune cautious took a seat across from his 'host', ignoring the stacks of Lien laying around the table. After making himself comfortable Jaune took his time to enter into a staring contest with Piker.

Piker is obviously not his real name, but Jaune couldn't find much about his background aside from several partnerships with crime groups. Despite his alias, Piker is a gambling man; being responsible for several risky, but high-profile murders and heists throughout the main city.

Despite all of that, his bounty is quite pitiful.

"So," Piker started, "why are you here?"

"Information," Jaune replied.

"And not from any information broker? Not even Lil' Miss Malachite? You're acting very suspicious here, Mors. I know you have your own network you listen to, so why ask me?"

"Recently, there's has been some sort of upheaval in the underworld."

"Again, ask the information brokers."

"Let me finish." Jaune sighed, "Several criminal syndicate establishments had been found… Burnt to the ground, along with their respective people. Notable people are getting whacked and everyone is asking questions; some are getting very paranoid."

The criminal grinned, "Charred outdoor barbeque and chaotic fun."

Jaune rolled his eyes but continued, "I have my suspicions on who is causing all this commotion."

"Then take it up with the brokers."

"I already did, but I'm not getting much yet. They've been oddly quiet about this whole mess, and I need some details regarding the death of Marcus Black."

"I stand by my previous statement. Get to the point." Piker's patience was starting to wane.

"I'm here because you're the guy that reported on Marcus's death; witnessed it even. I want the details from that incident. It's one of the many strings of deaths happening around the underworld; infamous people are dropping at a rate unlike any other, and most of the evidence left behind is leading towards a person called Cinder."

Piker cracked his neck and leaned forward, "What's in it for me?"

Jaune grinned, "What's in it for you? I'm letting you go, scot-free when this is over. Unless… You're taking your chances to gamble against me…?"

The two stared at each other in silence.

It broke down as Piker burst out laughing at the same threat he had made earlier. "Hah! I can see why Marcus liked you more than his pitiful son! Such a shame that's what caused his death in the first place."

"Too vague, Piker."

"Heh, I saw Marcus Black and his son duking it out in front of their house. I was going to jump in, but I oh so happened to notice someone nearby. Two people in fact."

"Go on. Were you able to get a good look at them?"

"Eh, I couldn't make them out clearly. I could feel one of them using their semblance to mask themselves to blend in with the trees. I believe it's some sort of illusion or mind-affecting semblance, but those types of semblance work poorly against me." Piker sat back and relaxed in his chair before continuing his story. "The battle ended with Marcus's kid doing his old man's skull in with a kick. Robotic legs the kid used. Recently implemented as well judging by the bloody bandaged wrapped around his leg. The kid was still bleeding."

Jaune had a disgusted look on his face, but he wasn't entirely surprised by Marcus's treatment of his son. "So, it wasn't her on that one… It was his son." And she recruited him afterward.

"Eh, I don't know who '_her'_ is," The lavendered-hair criminal shrugged, "but if you're thinking that this Cinder chick is the one who done in Marcus, you're out of luck with your conspiracy theories."

Jaune sighed, it wasn't the info he was hoping to get. Cinder might have been there to recruit Marcus and she just happened so to be on the scene where Marcus got killed. Of course, it might not be Cinder at all, but that seems very unlikely considering how Marcus's son is with her now.

Regardless, he needs to get to the bottom of this. He can't shake the feeling that she's planning something big and it won't be some massive criminal empire she's building. It's something else…

"Alright, thank you for your time." He waved dismissively, walking away from the table. "Also, try not to commit any heists and murders near my vicinity. I will stop you."

Piker snorted with amusement, "Yeah, sure. What a gambler." He chuckled as the blondie walked down the hallways. Glancing at his table, Piker suddenly realized that one of his stacks was missing. "Hehe, that's Mors for ya. What a sneaky bastard."

He sighed and surveyed his surroundings once more. Nobody was making a dash for his well-placed out Lien that he got from his previous heists. Only stares and whispers.

How pathetic.

Deciding to change his recruitment tactics, Piker collected the spread-out stacks of cash and tossed one out onto the center floor. Everyone nearby paused at what they were doing and glanced at the stack of Lien on the ground, after a moment; they reluctantly went back to what they were doing.

More stacks were thrown onto the ground, catching the attention of everyone on the bottom floor.

"Hey!" Someone from the third loft shouted, startling everyone but Piker. He calmly glanced up and spotted a large Oni No Su captain glaring down on him through his decorated, snarling festival oni mask. "I don't want any deaths or too many blood spills down there! Got me?! And you're paying for the damages and cleaning services, Piker!"

Piker nodded and mockingly saluted the captain before turning his attention back to his table. Without bothering to glance at the growing crowd around the stacks of Lien he tossed, he gave them the go-ahead.

"You heard the man. Winner takes all, or you can share it with whoever is left standing." He said out loud as he projected his semblance, Hysteria, onto the participants.

Chaos immediately ensued as the participants assaulted one another with everything they got as they fought under the influence of their greed and Piker's semblance.

From above, the crowds on the second and third loft hollered and cheered at the violent playing out below them. Amongst the chaos, Piker stayed where he was, not bothering to watch the brawl progress. Instead, he listened to the sounds of metal clashing and gunshots echoing; all while enjoying the breeze generated from the fight behind him.

He was dangerously close to the brawl, practically inches from it, but he took his chances.

After all, he is a gambling man and he loves the thrill of gambling with his life. The rewards of escaping from danger or death is pure ecstasy to him.

Several thugs were sent flying over Piker's head and landed on nearby tables, breaking them in the process.

"That's going on my tab." He laughed as the fighting quickly died down. "Well then, let's see who's left standing."

Glancing over towards the pile of unconscious bodies, four contestants remained; panting and exhausted. They cautiously glanced towards one another; their eyes flickered towards one another, uncertain how they should proceed. With Piker's semblance wearing off, they regained their senses and were starting to feel the fatigue from the fierce fighting they experienced earlier.

The spectators went silent with anticipation, with a few jeering at them to continue fighting until the Oni No Su captain yelled at them to shut up. "Quiet, all of you! Shows over, can't you tell? Get back to your business! Fidus, get a crew down there and clean up this mess!"

The spectators trickled away from the loft with their chattering, while the janitors and several Oni No Su crew started to pick up the debris and unconscious patrons.

Piker clapped slowly as he walked towards the four-remaining contestant, who had split their share equally with uneasy expressions. They cautiously observed Piker as he stopped a few feet away from them.

"Well done." He said with a smile of a businessman, "You performed so well, that I would like to offer you an opportunity to earn more than what you have there."

Three out of one scowled at him with distrust and disdain. They understand clearly that he had done something to make them fight like berserkers. Nonetheless, they are interested in this so-called opportunity.

A burly, well build man with sandy colored hair was the first to spoke up, "What kind of opportunity?"

"A risky one, full of stealing and maybe some murder. If you're into murder that is… But if you want more details, you're going to have to join me in my endeavors. But I assure you that the rewards will be worth it. You'll be set for life!"

"Why should we listen to you? I bet we're nothing more than puppets for you to throw around. How do we know you're not going to dispose of us with your mind control semblance afterward?" Another man asked. He wore a gray hood and bandana that covered up most of his features; save for his greenish tinted yellow eyes.

Piker laughed, "My semblance isn't mind control. It causes hysteria, slight hysteria to be exact, and it's all based on your emotional and mental state. So, it isn't mind control. Just slight crowd control. Besides, Lil' Miss Malachite is the one giving out these requests, not me. If you don't trust me, you can join in with the others that are pooling into her request. And… I like to treat my crew well, just don't try to backstab me."

"If you can cause massive hysteria with your semblance, why not do it yourself?" The man with greenish tinted yellow eyes pressed. "From what I gathered, you already pulled off several robberies from the main city. Why bother with us?"

"Because I'm just one person, and I did have help on those previous heists. They're all well off now, away on a beach sipping cocktail, behind bars, or dead." He replied with a smile.

His response was met with a huffed from the man.

"This will be a one-time job request, right?" Asked a female with pale hair tied into an updo. "We can leave once we finished the job, with our rewards and life no less?"

"Correct. Of course, you are welcome to continue working with me and Lil' Miss Malachite. We have no request shortages, I assure you."

"I see."

"And what about you, sir?" Piker asked the final one, a young man with brown hair in his early twenties.

"… I have nothing to say."

Piker clapped his hand, "Well then! Are we in? Say your name or an alias if you're in."

"Chaco." Said the silent browned hair youth.

"Krin." The female joined in next.

The remaining two took a while to think about their answer before agreeing to join in starting with the burly man.

"Oliver. This better not be a scam."

"Fade, and I agree with Oliver's statement."

Piker spread his arms out and grinned, "Wonderful! I'll contact Lil' Miss Malachite right now." He took out his scroll and dialed up his contact.

On the other end, a young woman's voice answered the call. "What is it, Piker?" She sounded annoyed.

"Hello, Violet."

"That's not my name."

"Well, you didn't tell me your name. Anyway, I got a crew set up and we're up for that request your special client gave out."

"I see." Not-Violet responded with a flat tone, "I'll put your name in the pool. You guys have five days to prepare for this."

"Excellent, oh… By any chance is your special client still looking for that special someone?"

"The reward is still up there, yes."

Piker's eyes flashed with mischievous intent, "Hehe, I just so happened to remember that I know a guy who uses the assortment of weapons your special client described. They call him Mors…"

/-/

Jaune spent hours crafting his specialized bullets for his revolver, Knight's Fall, before completing the tedious task. By then, it was already nighttime.

"Time flies fast." He mumbled as he pulled out his scroll to check for updates.

He received several texts from the group at Beacon Academy, with several notable one's such Ruby sneezing and exploding. After reading them all, he texted back a response and switched over to Adam's messages.

Adam had made it to Menagerie without any issue, though he did have to slay a Sea Feilong along the way. Aside from that, his meeting with Sienna Khan had been smooth at Mistral, but they still need to discuss the issue of the extremist group with the other high leaders at a later date. As for why Adam is heading to Menagerie, Jaune suspects that it has something to do with Blake's family.

Jaune closed his scroll and changed into his sleepwear, kicking off his shoe as he laid in bed.

He has a whole schedule planned out tomorrow for his bounty mission. Normally he doesn't take up bounty requests unless they were filtered, but there are times where he takes the initiative and does things on his own.

Of course, those often have a higher chance of him underestimating the mission and getting himself killed.

Jaune pondered a moment before he asked himself, "Why am I doing this?"

Boredom?

A living?

Maybe the last one is a bit farfetched now that he is somewhat rich with millions in his account, but he didn't want to dwell on the issue right now. Too complicated.

Hopefully, the bounty mission he has is from the Oni No Su is simple enough. Head to the southern district of Kuchinachi and eliminate two of the Snakehead's lower delegation in retaliation against the violent removal of an Oni No Su stronghold from that district.

It's a territorial dispute that Jaune is getting himself into, but he's done more daunting requests before. Compare to those, this one is minor.

"… Let's not jinx it." He sighed to himself as he turned off the lights.

* * *

**OKAY! **

**So, I didn't actually enjoy this chapter as much. The dialogue between Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune could had been better.**

**I also didn't like how many OCs I had to write in, though some might be cannon fodders or one off characters. ****Not the mention the focus on Piker, but that's just to give the readers a sense of his personality. **

**Piker is not Cinder's replacement of Roman. I have plans on how things turns out, but you shouldn't be worry about replacements. They tend to be cannon fodders for other characters. Maybe some are resilient, but still...**

**I don't like making OCs. Unless it's for those mock battle chapters that I have on my writing folder.**


	5. Chapter 4

**I wasn't feeling well when I started writing this chapter. Made worse when it was somehow a difficult chapter to write.**

**I also have some very brief summary of my concept stories on my profile, check them out.**

**Pardon my grammar.**

**EDIT: Fixed some grammar issues, please let me know if you find any. Depending on what the issue is, I will try to make a fix to it as soon as possible.**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

Kuo Kuana is the largest city on Menagerie, with the city actually being debatable as Kuo Kuana lacks the sophisticated system of transportation and communication to be considered a city. Due to the lack of resources in order to construct such infrastructure, any outsider can glance at it and say that it's a large village or town.

It's also home to the chieftain of Menagerie, Ghira Belladonna. The father of Blake Belladonna and the former High Leader of the White Fang. Near the edge of the hills surrounded by trees and houses lies the Chieftain's House; a small wooden mansion that stands out amongst the rest of the buildings.

Adam walked cautiously up the stone steps as he prepared himself to meet the Belladonna family. While he's not entirely afraid of Blake's parent, Adam is mindful of what will happen if he steps on a landmine. Especially if it's Blake's mother, Kali.

He had removed his White Fang mask the moment he got to Menagerie so that he does not garner too much attention from the Menagerie Guards. Even though the White Fang is not entirely frowned upon in Kuo Kuana, the Menagerie Guard is under the employment of Ghira, and the former High Leader is not pleased with the direction the current White Fang has taken.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted the large doorknocker and knocked it against the large wooden door; the sound echoing throughout the entire building. In all honesty, it was a bit intimidating.

After a moment, the door slowly opened with Kali peeking her head out. It took her a second to recognize Adam as he had never taken off his mask before, but when she did; her eyes hardened and her expression instantly turned sour.

"Adam, what brings you here? And more importantly… Where. Is. Blake?" Her voice was oozing with venom.

He kept his cool and responded calmly, "Blake has left the White Fang and is currently attending Beacon Academy."

Kali blinked before she narrowed her eyes. "You seem to be very fine with that. What are you scheming, Taurus?"

"I realized my mistake." He replied, "I was becoming more and more of a monster. No different than the humans that I made them out to be. I have already given her my sincerest apologizes and ensured that she was well off before I left."

Kali stayed silent as she studied Adam with her piercing eyes. He gazed back. His blue eyes were clear and open. Be it that it may be, Adam and the majority of the White Fang may adhere to violence, but it'll be for a noble cause and not a vessel for unnecessary destruction.

"Hmph. Come in, my husband would like to speak with you."

"Thank you, ma'am." Adam braced himself as he walked into the Belladonna's household.

/-/

Pepper sprays and tear gas.

Overlooked, non-lethal, and unorthodox for the most part, but it goes through aura and is extremely useful for crowd control. Which is why it's one of Jaune's favorite item to use in the midst of battle, especially when he's on a solo mission.

"W-what is this?! Poison gas?!"

"It burns!"

"Don't get near the gas, you idiots!"

The Snakehead gang were in disarray as canisters of tear gas spewed their contents into the headquarter, blocking the corridors and exits. Even with the Snakeheads in a panic, the higher-ranking members will be mounting a formidable defense soon if he doesn't hurry. He'll have to move fast and precise if he wants to finish the job without his enemies dogpiling him.

His target is two of the Snakehead's lower delegation. Supposedly, the ones responsible for initiating this turf war. Jaune's mission has two main objectives, kill his targets and take their delegation rings as proofs of his kill.

Since this bounty mission was open to any takers, Jaune has to bring them something as proof that he had done his job correctly. Thankfully it didn't have to be a severed arm, or worse… A decapitated head.

Luckily, a Snakehead's lower delegation ring is all that the Oni No Su wanted. It isn't just some ordinary valuable ring, it's practically their royal crown and scepter. Every single important member, from the lower delegation to the top boss, have their own custom ring that marks them as a person of power and influence.

And he'll be the one taking it.

Jaune dashed down the brightly lit hallway in his dark blue combat uniform, respirator, and night vision goggles. He stood out like a sore thumb, yes, but if he manages to escape into the night. He'll be practically invisible as the sky outside has darkened considerably.

If the information his client provided is correct, his targets should be hanging out on the third floor in their luxurious lounge.

He halted his advancement as Jaune reached the stairwell. It was a wide area with fancy floorings and a single, large spiraling stairwell that's guarded by brutish looking thugs with guns.

They instantly fired on him as he came into the clearing with their handguns, missing as he flittered into the air with his gravity-powered boots and semblance.

"Shit, he got past us!"

Jaune grinned behind his respirator and lobbed three of his shock grenades onto the stairwells before landing onto the third floor. The screams followed by the explosion of their ammunitions catching sparks were music to his ears as he drew his revolver and retractable sword.

He focused his attention on his adversaries in front of him; Snakehead goons formed a defensive perimeter around the large double doors that housed his targets.

"You got guts, wannabe." A large man with pale green hair and a large tattoo across his entire body pointed his giant battle-ax at Jaune. "Don't think you're going to make out of here alive. Fire!"

The Snakehead goons unleashed a torrent of bullets as Jaune dove to the side and threw a tear gas canister at their entrenched position.

It was quickly intercepted by the man with the giant battle-ax as he split the cannister in two, expecting the 'grenade' to not detonate if the fuse and detonator were destroyed. Instead, all he got was a face full of tear gas as the cannister exploded in a short radius clouding the area with thick orangish gas.

Those who were unfortunately nearby coughed and clawed at their eyes as the tear gas temporary incapacitated them, while the rest quickly backed away from the orange mist.

Utilizing his semblance, Jaune amplified his aura; increasing his physical abilities. He dashed towards the incapacitated man and slammed his fist into his forehead, sending him flying several meters back.

Jaune deflected several shots from the goons with his sword and lunged at them; his blade became nothing but a silver streak as he danced through the goons' defense. They were resilient with their auras unlocked but pathetically under-skilled as he shattered their auras and weapon with a single strike.

He leveled his revolver, Knight's Fall, and fired several explosive rounds at the oncoming goons. The bullets erupted into a fireball on impact, engulfing the goons in a smothering heat of flame. That should be the last of their goons, for now.

By now, his targets would have most likely taken their escape routes. Jaune will need to quickly get into the lounge and find their escape route if he wants to finish this. He made a run towards the large doors but frowned as he heard a whooshing sound from behind.

He leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the giant battle-ax that smashed into the floor. The thrower was the large tattooed man he incapacitated earlier, and he was furious. He stomped towards Jaune, eyes red and feral.

"I'll fucking kill you!" He roared as he put on his brass knuckles and fastened his arm brace. He wildly charged towards Jaune, shrugging off every shot thrown at him.

With a fierce roar, the large man swung his fist at Jaune; missing as he ducked and slashed at large man's stomach, stopping his charge. The brute staggered back as his aura took most of the blow, allowing Jaune to ram the large man; sliding behind him and making the giant lose balance.

Stabbing his sword to the ground, Jaune raised a hand, activated his semblance, and palmed the brute in the chest with all his might; sending the man flying into the large double doors. The impact splintered the wooden frames causing the reinforced doors to topple over.

"Wow, really? Wooden frames on a reinforced steel door?" Whoever built this was clearly cutting corners. Whoever bought this was clearly scammed.

He entered the lounging room and was greeted with four girls whimpering and huddling in a corner while a large TV screen was playing a movie.

"D-don't hurt us!" One of the girls whimpered.

"Easy there, I won't hurt you. Where are they?"

"T-they went through a h-hidden door, o-over there." They pointed at a wall with beautiful carvings.

"Thanks. You girls should get out of here." He walked up to the wall and punched it, hard. As he suspected, the hidden door was also a reinforced steel door that was being held up by wooden frames. The frames instantly broke, letting the steel door fall over, revealing a hidden emergency passage. "The owners of this place were scammed." He mumbled as he walked down the stairs.

/-/

"Shit! How did find us already?!"

"It doesn't matter run!"

Lan and Luse, two of the Snakeheads lower delegation were fleeing for their lives. The underground tunnels had many pathways that lead to who knows where, but all the duo know is that they need to follow the red and yellow markings with ascending numbers if they wished to escape.

The duo was enjoying themselves with cute girls and a movie before they were alerted to the fact that someone was tearing through their headquarter with their useless guards being incapable of stopping the intruder. They were forced to stop whatever they were doing and fled into the underground tunnels while their armed escorts tried to slow down their assassin.

"Bastards! It's those Oni No Su no doubt about it!" Luse snarled, "Call the upper delegations! Tell them that the Oni No Su are bold enough to –" His angry ranting was cut short as gunshots echoed closely behind them.

"Escape route has been breached! Quickly, buy them time! Move, move!" A section of the armed escorts broke off and rushed in aid of their comrades' defense.

"Damn it! He already found us!" Lan shouted as they made a break towards the next tunnel.

Luse gritted his teeth, "Reinforced door my ass! You all, go help your brothers and sisters!" The rest of their guards turned around and ran back. "That should bring us enough time to get out of here."

The sound of fighting grew closer as the screams of their guards indicated that they didn't stand much of a chance against the assassin. No more were the guards, leaving the duo at the mercy of their assassin as the sound of footsteps came closer.

Luse babbled as he shakily took up his compacted handgun. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

"Shut up!" Lan smacked his partner on the back as he warily surveyed his surroundings. He growled and drew his sword gun from its sheath. "I'm not going to lay here and die like a crippled mutt, come on brother." He elbowed Luse and turned to face their attacker. "We're going to kill this guy ourselves!"

It was dark. The tunnels were made during the Great War with cheap, weak light sources giving them limited vision. These secret passages weren't as wide as they liked and offered little to no cover, leaving them wide open. It could be said, however, that it goes both ways as well since the assassin wouldn't be able to take cover as well.

The duo aimed their weapons at the dimly lit tunnels, they eyed the dark corridors as they slowly shuffled back. Lan and Luse never had huntsmen training but were still above average fighters in the Snakehead gang, capable of thrashing their underlings without a sweat.

Their assassin should be no different, right? How hard is it to kill this assassin be when there are two of them?

"There!" They opened fired; bullets bouncing off against the assassin's sword as he lunged towards them.

Lan gritted his teeth and swung his sword, meeting the assassin's blade as the impact sent orange sparks into the air. His partner aimed his handgun carefully at the assassin and fired.

The assassin jumped back, causing Lan to stumble as he had put his entire weight on his weapon. Taking this opportunity, the assassin stomped on his foot and brought his sword skyward, cutting Lan across the chest; sending him into the ceiling.

Luse cried out as Lan smashed against the ceiling with such force that it cracked upon impact. As he fell, the assassin's sword gleamed in the dimly lit tunnel as it sliced through Lan's aura and body, killing the man in an instant.

The reminding Snakehead fired wildly as he tried to flee but his escape was quickly stopped as the assassin blurred and slashed at his abdomen. Luse slammed into the side of the tunnel, stumbling as he tried to regain his balance. His aura couldn't take another hit as he opened his mouth to scream as the assassin lunged at him.

Silence.

Dead silence.

The underground tunnel was silent as the assassin stood over the bodies of the Snakehead's lower delegation. He flicked the blood off of his sword and glanced at his handiwork.

The assassin remained motionless until he sighed and stretched his arms. "Mission completed." He said as he removed the rings from the corpses. "Now, how do I get out of here?"

/-/

Ghira and Kali stared intensely at Adam as he sat straight up, trying hard not to flinch under their gaze. After retelling his story that led up to Blake leaving the White Fang, and him losing control of the White Fang cell at Vale. Ghira and Kali intensified their leer with each event that didn't sit well with them till the point he felt like he was being strangled.

When he finished his story, they stayed silent as the Belladonna eyed each other.

"So, you're here to get help in fixing your mistakes?" Ghira's deep voice reverberated throughout the small office.

"Yes," Adam caught himself, "and to apologize for endangering your daughter as well."

"And?"

"… And for leading her down the wrong path."

They didn't seem to be satisfied with his 'apology', but they let him off with a hostile glare as they continued their conversation.

"What will you be doing?"

It didn't take a genius to know that Adam would be forcefully retaking control of the White Fang cell at Vale. It would be a bad PR on all end and a huge propaganda fuel for the SDC and other anti-faunus groups, but at the very least the White Fang couldn't be used for whatever Cinder has in store for them.

Adam took a while as he thought about his answer. "I'll have to establish a presence at Vale, creating another White Fang faction to counteract the extremist group. This will hopefully pull away some of their recruits. After we stabilize ourselves, we will begin our operation on preventing the extremist faction from doing anything we wouldn't do." Adam frowned at his own last sentence. He could have worded it better.

Ghira snorted at that, "Tell me. What wouldn't the current White Fang not do?"

"Capture live Grimms to unleash upon the heavily populated city, create bombs to breach the kingdom's defense so that Grimms could get in… Those two are the most noteworthy ones and something the White Fang would never participate in. I don't know what Cinder's end goal is, but it isn't good, for all of us. Human and faunus.

"I see." Ghira mused on Adam's statement for a bit before meeting his eyes. "I don't like the direction the White Fang has taken, but everyone has their own beliefs they follow. Regardless, I will see what I can do on my end to limit the influence of the extremist faction."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. You may leave now."

Kali narrowed her eyes at Ghira's dismissive attitude and cleared her throat. "Aren't you forgetting something? Something that has to do with our daughter…?"

Her husband gulped at Kali's heavy aura and quickly fixed his mistake, "And thank you for delivering us Blake's letter, the signal amplifier, and scroll."

"It was the least I can do for her."

"It sure was," Ghira muttered, earning him a smack in the back from his wife.

/-/

Jaune stood before a small contingent of representatives from the top members of the Oni No Su. A female Oni No Su captain, wearing a festival oni mask stood in front of him. Her arms were behind her back as she waited for the wiry man to finish analyzing the Snakehead rings with his loupe.

The wiry man glanced up and nodded at the captain, who nodded in return. Despite hiding behind her mask, Jaune could tell that the Oni No Su captain was pleased that their rival gang took a hefty loss from the deaths of their two lower delegation members.

She motioned at the goons to give Jaune his reward, "I'm impressed, Mors. Not only did you kill those snakes, but you also managed to kill one of their Jade Guards."

"I have no knowledge of these Jade Guards." He replied smoothly as he inspects the lien inside the briefcase the goons gave to him.

"They tend to be large individuals with extravagant tattoos all over their bodies."

His mind wandered back to the large man with pale green hair with a tattoo across his face and body. "Ah, I do recall encountering one. Not much of an opponent."

The captain chuckled, "Yes. I'm certain that someone of your caliber wouldn't have much issue with such an opponent."

"I believe our business is concluded?" He closed the briefcase and leaned on his left foot. "I also want to thank the Oni No Su for the little bonus they added in."

The captain dismissed her entourage with a wave of her hand, "You're very much welcome. Killing a Jade Guard help saves us on manpower." She then lowered her voice once her entourage was out of sight, her mask glared into his night vision goggles. "You have helped us greatly, Mors. Which is why I am going to give you a warning."

Jaune tensed as the mood dropped very suddenly. "Let me hear it."

Did he do something wrong? Or was the client trying to keep this whole affair silent one way or another?

"Someone out there just placed a bounty on your head." The captain explained as she paced around the dark alleyway. "The Spiders are the ones who's been circulating your bounty, but their client is a mystery."

The Spiders? What did he do to earn their…? Wait, their client…

"How much is on my head? Dead or alive?" He asked slowly.

"15 million liens." She whistled, "Dead or alive, but if brought alive; the price doubles."

Jaune almost collapsed at that. Did the SDC make this request?! Unless it was a wealthy household or business, there was no way someone would just drop 15 million liens for his head.

"I… see."

"If I were you, I would get out of Mistral as soon as possible." She continued as she tapped on the scabbard behind her waist. "Enough said, we've talked long enough. You have two minutes to get out of here before the Oni No Su and every single opportunist in Mistral comes looking for you."

* * *

**DON'T WORRY! Jaune is still capable of taking up illegal bounty requests and mission. He just can't do it that freely in Mistral anymore, and certainly not in the shady cities far from the Mistralian council watchful eye. **

* * *

**Vale, Vacuo, and to some extent, Atlas will be getting some screen time. The main city of Mistral and some remote areas comes up in mind as well. **

**J****ust remember that Mistral has the most territories out of all the kingdoms and there are plenty of places to hide there. **

**Go checkout World of Remnant: Mistral.**

* * *

**Pardon my grammar.**

**I also have some very brief summary of my concept stories on my profile, check them out.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Late Chapter - I am sorry about that, I have an exam in the upcoming days.**

**This chapter is a bit short and combat orientated, so enjoy. **

**Pardon my grammar.**

**EDIT: Compressed the sentences line so that it wasn't too spaced out.**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

The Oni No Su captain wasn't joking when she said that every single opportunist in Mistral will be hunting him. By every single opportunist, she meant every single criminal imaginable in Mistral.

Except for Neo and Roman since it was blatantly obvious who put out the bounty on Jaune.

Hint, it was Cinder!

No way were they going back to Cinder after escaping from Cinder's grasp, much less turn on the one who helped them escape in the first place.

With that said, Jaune has already regretting staying a bit in Mistral.

Even in the main city of Mistral, right under the council's watchful eye, Jaune was not safe as long as his steep bounty is active. The Kingdom of Mistral is home to the biggest black market in the world, and there is no shortage of people who will be willing to take the risk of bagging in him in the main city.

Such is the situation that is currently unfolding as Jaune was strolling in the main city streets, minding his own business. It started out as an average day before all hell broke loose.

Bullets rained down from the cliffs, forcing Jaune to take cover behind the residential buildings signaling the end of Jaune's 'vacation' day. Innocent bystanders immediately started running and screaming as the bullets shattered the stone pavement, sending shards everywhere.

"Damn it! Even here?!" Jaune mentally cursed himself as he should have left Mistral instead of endangering the civilians here. "In a crowd, no less!"

He was dressed in his 'civilian' clothing; black Pumpkin Pete hoodie, blue jeans, and a gray backpack that held his weapons. Jaune was hoping that the takers of his bounty request won't know his 'civilian' appearance and would only be familiar with his dark blue combat attire, but it seems that some of his physical descriptions have been put on details.

The gunfire stopped once Jaune was out of his assassin's line of sight. It seems that no civilians were hurt but they were in a state of absolute panic. He hoped this mass panic won't generate enough negative emotion to attract the Grimms to the main city, even if it is well defended. That would just make him feel even more guilty.

He needs to find a way out of here since he's currently in a bad spot. Mistral was built atop a mountain, giving the city a unique look and infrastructure. The buildings and pathways were uneven, ascending and descending due to the mountainous terrains.

To simplify the issue, Jaune's assailant has the high ground, and he does not.

"So, much for my break." He groaned, running through the narrowed pathways while keeping cover behind the residential buildings before entering the commercial district.

Jaune will need to find a way back to his ship or wait until the authorities can gain control of the situation. He can break from cover and make a bolt towards his destination, but that will endanger the civilians even more. Jaune can also set his airship into autopilot remotely, flying over the city and picking him up, but that would also give his enemy a chance to disable his airship, a risk he really should not take.

Turning a corner, Jaune pulled into a wide walkway that was devoid of civilians. Perhaps he can wait until his would-be assassin is forced to flee from the authorities.

A figure suddenly came crashing down onto the stone floor effectively blocking Jaune's path. A man in his forties wordlessly heaved his triple barrel light machinegun at Jaune and started firing; streaks of bullets whizzed past Jaune at triple the amount.

"Whoa, whoa!" Jaune dodged the barrage and whipped out Knight's Fall, firing a bright, but explosive flare shot at his attacker.

A bluish eye visor covered over the man's left eye, protecting him from the brightness of Jaune's flare shot. He analyzed the projectile and swung his machine gun at the flare shot, bursting the bullet and engulfing the area in a small explosion.

"Works every time." Jaune quipped, firing three more rounds at his assassin while he backpedals away. _'Too easy'_ Jaune thought to himself before frowning as a shadow flitted past overhead causing him to groan. "I jinxed it."

Jaune pulled out his retractable blade and met his second attacker, their blades clashed against one another sending showers of sparks into the air.

Getting a good look at his second attacker, Jaune could see that he wielded a saber and a serrated sword that reminded Jaune of a swordbreaker. His face was concealed behind a white lower half mask and is equipped with a hi-tech cuirass over his torso.

"Nice armor." Jaune complimented, inspecting his opponent's weapons and gear. It looked like his gear comes from Atlas… Come to think of it, the other guy with the triple barrel machinegun also had Atlesian-like gear.

Are they Greenley's men?

It doesn't matter, these guys looked like professionals, the Atlesian Specialist types.

"…" The ninja looking guy didn't say anything, his saber and swordbreaker crossed slightly in front of him, ready to lunge at Jaune.

He decided to nickname ninja looking guy as Vyse while the man with the triple-barreled machinegun is dubbed as Laguna.

No, it's Laguna, not Lagune. Lagune is the human general from the Faunus Rights Revolution era that screwed up the human's campaign against the faunus. You know, General Lagune?

"Are you guys from Atlas?" Jaune asked as he eyed Laguna stepping out of the explosion, unharmed. "Because you guys look like Atlesian Specialists gone rogue." It was faint, but Jaune could see the resentment flickering through their eyes when he mentioned Atlas, and anger at Atlesian. "Ah… You guys are from Mantle."

The former capital city of Atlas before the Great War, Mantle was left behind and practically forgotten not soon after they lost the Great War giving rise to the Kingdom of Atlas. Despite the contribution Mantle gave to the city of Atlas, they were soon overshadowed as Atlas prospered and Mantle was left in the cold.

Talk about ungrateful…

Laguna leveled his triple barreled machinegun with a grunt, "Surrender yourself, Mors. Our client simply wants to talk to you if you're willing to surrender, peacefully."

"I know who your client is," Jaune replied smoothly, turning his body so he could keep an eye on both of his would-be assassins, or bounty hunters. "Give me a day to think about your offer."

"Non-negotiable." They reinforced their grip on their weapons. "Last chance."

He falsely pondered on the offer and responded by activating the Gravity Dust in his boots, kicking dust into the air as Jaune propelled himself into the sky. His pursuers immediately acted. Vyse leaped onto the roof and gave chase while Laguna positioned himself on a highpoint, firing his machinegun at Jaune. Bullets streamed past Jaune as he struggled to outmaneuver the trajectories, nearly forcing him to ground his flight.

"Urgh, time to test these guys out!" His boots had just been modified to fire bullets and other projectiles ever since Jaune encountered Marcus's kid and his shotgun boots. Unlike Marcus's son shotgun boots, Jaune's gunboots has a very low ammo capacity. He'll have to make each shot count. "Let's try some flare shots."

Two bright red flames burst out from the metallic soles of his gunboots, swirling in the air, temporarily blinding Vyse before his bluish eye visor popped over his left eye, partially nullifying the blinding effects.

_'What are those?'_ Jaune wondered, able to make out the interface of his opponent's eye visor._ 'It seems to be some sort of combat feedback visor and a light filter as well! I got to get one of those!'_

Vyse dodged the flare shot as it struck one of the hilltops, exploding upon impact. His pursuer surfed the shockwave and resumed the pursuit of his target, undaunted by what Jaune could throw at him.

"Shoot." He had just given his pursuer a boost in catching up to him. "I might as well learn how to do that as well." Jaune cycled through the ammo in his boots and fired several more. However, his high ground would soon come to an end as another round of heavy gunfire caught Jaune's attention. His head snapped towards his other assailant, Laguna.

The machine gunner had jumped from roof to roof, stationing himself into a favorable position and took aim. The roaring sound of gunfire accompanied by a hail of endless bullets was met with sharp metallic pings as Jaune defended himself with his retractable sword. High-velocity bullets struck against his sword, pushing Jaune into a hilltop. He tumbled violently on the stone pavement, quickly regaining control of his movement and tried to leap back into the air.

Jaune's getaway was interrupted as Vyse, anticipating this, lunged forward and nearly scored a hit on Jaune's torso but struck his retractable sword instead.

"Tch." Vyse clicked his tongue and channeled all the Fire Dust reserves in his saber. The dual-wielding assassin raised his glowing bright red saber once more and swung it at Jaune's center mass.

Jaune has been on the receiving end of Adam's semblance before, and the similarity between that and Vyse's attack couldn't have been a better indicator of what he should do next. His semblance in full use, Jaune strengthened his sword and body as the red blade struck against his and exploded. Jaune flew and collided into a building, nearly caving it in. The blondie fell to the floor and slowly got up.

One hand massaging his forehead, Jaune unslung his backpack and equipped his gauntlet. No more running.

His opponents may have yet to score a direct hit on his aura, but they had effectively grounded him with the relentless pursuit of Vyse and the fire support of Laguna. Their teamwork is vital in their success but, make no mistake; Jaune's opponent is dangerous in their own right.

They may not be as dangerous as Greenley, or the Branwen twins, but they are certainly experienced, professional huntsman.

Jaune cracked his knuckles and reloaded Knight's Fall before snapping the revolver's chamber back in place. His opponents won't be staying here for long, the Mistralian authority will be swarming the place soon and they most certainly will not be sticking around. The sounds of sirens were quickly approaching with several airships dispatched towards the affected area. It won't be long before they would make a break for it.

"You know, you guys could just run." Jaune shuffled away from his assassins. "Or you can surrender yourself, peacefully."

The response was instantaneous, hails of bullets tore through the spot Jaune was standing. Laguna's task is to pin his target down while his partner flanked to the side for a sure kill.

Jaune stood his ground and met their attacks head-on. His sword was nothing but a blur of silver, deflecting every single bullet that came his way. His body was glowing brightly with his aura amplifying semblance in use, allowing Jaune to push his body beyond their standard limits. He can't keep this up for long, however. For all of his impressive achievements, Jaune has yet to utilize his semblance to their best potential.

Jaune kept track of his secondary opponent, Vyse, and repositioned himself; crossing blades with the dual-wielding assassin. His retractable blade was caught against Vyse's swordbreaker, forcing Jaune to release his sword and jump back. Ironic considering that Jaune's combat knife functioned the same way as Vyse's swordbreaker. Now he's at the receiving end of a similar weapon to it.

He may have temporarily lost his sword, but Jaune has a lot of weapons on him. He dodged the dizzying gleams of silver that were Vyse's blades and raised his gauntlet.

Flames roared out of his Jaune's gauntlet, nearly scorching the dual-wielding assassin and forcing him to leap sharply to the side. Jaune would have followed up with his attack but was forced to block another barrage of bullets.

The dual-wielding assassin jumped back up and sidestep at an angle where a friendly fire could be avoided. Thus, Jaune was now slightly pincered with Vyse at his right and Laguna holding his position in the front; his machinegun continuously whittling at Jaune's defense. Vyse charged in once more, directing his sword with precision at Jaune's weak point all while forcing Jaune to ditch his counterattack in favor of fully defending himself from the hail of bullets raining down at his direction.

Despite overwhelming Jaune with their combined attacks, he was still about to hold his ground and buy time before the authorities arrive. His assassins also knew this. They had already crafted their escape plan, easing the intensity of their attack and switching from firepower to mobility.

Laguna sneered and compressed his machinegun into a compacted form, "Okay, Mors. You asked for it." He kicked off the pavement and closed in on Jaune, the compacted tri-barreled rifle was leveled directly at Jaune's face. Quick on his feet, Jaune dodged the first shot and fired Knight's Fall at the charging Vyse while setting off his flame-throwing gauntlet at Laguna.

"Grrr!" The bullet from Knight's Fall struck against Vyse's saber, discharging the Lightning Dust that was packaged inside the specialized bullet, electrocuting the dual-wielding assassin.

This gave Jaune enough time to handle Laguna but was thrown off guard as his opponent swiftly knocked his gauntlet to the side with the butt of his rifle and slammed his elbow into Jaune's face, sending him into the floor. Jaune rolled off the floor and jumped just in time to avoid several rounds from Laguna's compressed rifle. He returned fire and defended himself from Vyse's sneak attack as the dual-wielding assassin lashed out with quicksilver strokes.

His gauntlet blocked Vyse's fierce attack; metal screeching against each other as Jaune calculatedly defended himself on both fronts. It was a daunting task; he was sweating hard and panting as bullets whizzed past his face and sharp blades shrieking against his gauntlet and revolver.

He mentally grinned as he saw Laguna quickly reloading his compacted rifle. A window of opportunity.

Jaune slid his boots on the floor as he blocked another attack from Vyse and activated the remaining Gravity Dust in his boot. He plowed through Vyse's non-existing defense, knocking him over and fired at his assassins, forcing them to defend themselves as he snatched up his retractable sword from the ground.

Openly grinning now, Jaune pointed his sword at his would-be assassins and taunted them. "Times up you guys."

The Mistralian authorities had arrived, their airships hovering overhead with several squads of Mistral Special Response Team surrounding the area with their heavy weaponry.

"Drop your weapons! Drop them now!"

"Get on the ground!"

Laguna calmly assessed the situation and looked at Jaune in the eyes.

"So, it would seem." His voice was unnaturally calm.

That must have been a signal because, in an instant, Vyse hit the floor as his ally decompressed his weapon to its machinegun form and unloaded all of its ammo into the crowd of MSRT operatives. A chaotic assortment of Dust bullets struck against everything in sight, followed by a thick cloud of smoke quickly blanketing the area. Jaune staggered back from the sudden barrage, barely able to deflect the bullets sent his way. He cursed as the black smoke impaired his vision but was kept his cool. His harsh training regimen with his master taught him how to fight while being visually impaired.

Controlling his breathing, Jaune closed his eyes and felt the air around him with his aura.

Left side!

His retractable blade shot out and grind against Vyse's swordbreaker pinning Jaune down, but not completely. He raised his revolver and fired several Lightning Dust bullets at his assassin, missing as Vyse drew back to dodge the bullets before retaliating by lunging forward, blades aimed at the heart. Jaune fiercely swung his sword and caught the swordbreaker, breaking Vyse's momentum. Activating his semblance, Jaune strengthened his physique and thrust redirected their blades into the stone pavement, embedding it into the ground.

Still equipped with his saber, Vyse released his swordbreaker and continued his assault; forcing Jaune back as Vyse viciously jabbed at him with his saber but was not able to land a single hit.

_'Atlesian fencing style'_ Jaune mentally noted as he continued to dodge his Vyse's attack. _'Where's the other guy?'_

Like he was summoned, Laguna suddenly appeared to Jaune's right, joining in on the melee fight with his metallic baton.

_'Why?! Why do I keep doing that?!'_

"You guys are really persistent!" Blocking the heavy strike from Laguna, Jaune twisted his body and hook kicked Vyse in the stomach making him stagger back. "Obsessed, almost!" His hand blurred and swatted Laguna's baton aside, headbutting the man in the face and proceeding to knock the legs out from under him. "Don't get tunneled vision."

Vyse growled, rearing up for another attack but halted as a gust of wind started to blow away the black smoke that was engulfing the area.

"Damn it!" The dual-wielding assassin leaped back and slammed his foot against his swordbreaker, dislodging it from the ground.

Jaune couldn't see what happened next as the wind intensified, forcing Jaune to cover his eyes as debris blew against his face. Next thing Jaune knew, he was tackled to the ground as an MSRT operative slammed him onto the smooth pavement and handcuffed him. Jaune groaned as his vision blurred and returned. The radio chatter and harsh barking of orders made his head spin as Jaune tried to look around.

His assailants were nowhere to be found. No doubt, they had escaped.

_'Oh, well.' _Jaune mentally sighed as another MSRT operative stood over him. "Hello, officer." Jaune couldn't help but greet the operative. This one had a familiar air to it.

The MSRT operative removed his helmet revealing a hardy man that he had met before, Commissioner Grayman!

"Jaune?"

"Commissioner Grayman? It's been a while."

"It sure has." The grayed-haired man nodded, "More importantly, what on Remnant happened here?"

* * *

**Fun Fact: Team SSSN and Team ABRN were supposed to help Jaune out here in the middle of the fight, but I was never able to find a good reason and time to add them.**

**Pardon my grammar.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Had a bit of a cold when I was writing this one. Somethings might be a bit... Off.**

**If you see any Grammar mistakes, please put it on the Review or PM me. I will most likely fixed it unless I purposely wrote it like that. **

**Pardon my grammar.**

**EDIT: Forgot to include a small snippet of someone's semblance. **

**EDIT: Removed 'alter' from Ruby's ego. Thank you IcyStream.**

**EDIT: Made a few adjustments to someone's semblance since it was an 'early' version of it. Curse this cold, it's making me forget things.**

**EDIT: Added a few extra words.**

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

No charges have been filed against Jaune. Nearby cameras and eyewitnesses made sure of that.

Unfortunately, even with multiple cameras and witnesses on the scene; the authorities weren't able to identify the attackers. It seems that the assailants possessed some sort of interference devices on them, which means the cameras were not a reliable source leaving only eyewitnesses as their main source of identifying the attackers.

That obviously included Jaune, who is their target, to begin with. The endless questioning, the sketch artists… All of it was starting to wear him down. He wanted to go home, and by home; Jaune meant his airship.

Even though Jaune was cleared of any charges, he wasn't off the hook. First off, Jaune is a non-licensed huntsman equipped with illegally bought goods. This raises some serious questions which weren't addressed the last time he 'worked' with the Mistralian authorities – there was more pressing matter at hand, and General Ironwood vouched for him.

That said, everyone felt it was wrong to charge a person who had fought off two assassins that probably had huntsmen training. Even if they wanted too, they don't have enough solid evidence to file a criminal charge against Jaune.

Besides, he did potentially save their councilwoman from an attempted murder or kidnapping last time.

Then there's the million-lien question. Why were they targeting him?

Jaune gave them a small, altered rundown of his situation but left several important parts out. He didn't want the authorities holding him for being the infamous Mors, though he was pretty certain they managed to sort out a connection between him and his persona.

With nothing left to do, aside from asking if he needed protection, which he declined; they reluctantly let him go.

Jaune yawned as he trudged towards his airship, "Why did they keep me around for two days?"

Generally, the law states that law enforcement can only detain a person for 24 hours should they not have a criminal charge against him. It can go up to 48 hours or more should they have reasonable suspicion.

That, or they were protecting him by temporarily putting him in their custody. Still, it was a hassle and he has a lot of things to get back too. And by a lot, there were only several unread messages he needs to read over.

Once Jaune got settled into his airship, he pulled out his scroll and saw several messages from Adam, Pyrrha, and Yang. A handful of calls to get back too.

"They passed their initiation. That's to be expected." He typed down a few congratulatory messages for Pyrrha and Yang before dialing Adam as his airship took off, soaring to the distances and away from Mistral. After two rings, Adam picked up his call. "Hey, Adam. Sorry about –"

"I leave you be for a day or two and you already got yourself a 15 million lien bounty!" Adam snapped at him, "What have you been doing?!"

Jaune casually shrugged, "I made someone named Cinder angry, now I got 15 million liens on my head. 30 million if they got me alive."

Adam gave him a deadpanned stare, "Really now?"

There was an awkward silence between them. "Okay, so I had a major brain fart after I found out about the bounty from the Oni No Su." He admits, "And I underestimated how much people wanted me. Not that kind of want…" That particular statement made Adam rolled his eyes, wondering why he even bothered to be worried about Jaune in the first place. "So, I stuck around in Mistral for a while."

"Yes, I saw the news." The bull faunus removed his mask and pinched his forehead, feeling a painful throb go through his skull. "Don't tell me you're still in Mistral?" The White Fang spy network managed to snag a bounty poster from the Spiders, which is how Adam managed to figure out about the bounty on Jaune. "Because an attack like that in Mistral's capital shows how bold your pursuers are."

"I'm on my airship flying to Vale right now," Jaune assured him.

The Spiders network may be far-reaching, but their influence wanes greatly outside Mistral. They can send requests, warn others about untrustworthy people to blacklist, etc., but that's up to the crime groups of their respective kingdoms to follow through. Jaune will just have to test that theory now since Cinder has some serious influence.

"Good, we're on our way to Vale as well. I got some intel that Cinder left someone else in charge of her operation at Vale in Roman's stead."

That caught Jaune's attention since he was out of the loop, having been cooped up at the police station for a few days. "Know who it is? I wasn't keeping track of things these past few days. You know, being held by the police for questioning and my own safety from the big bad assassins and all."

"We don't know. All we know is that a bunch of lieutenants are in command of the White Fang at Vale, but they're puppets to whoever Cinder put in charge." Adam scowled at the complications that have arisen. "Every order that comes out of their mouth comes from whoever this person is."

"I see…" Jaune could feel that they're wading deeper into murky waters. Dangerous, deep, murky waters. His mind is telling him to turn back; let this thing sort itself out and lay low for the time being, but his sense of adventure and attitude tells him otherwise. "You said 'we're on our way back to Vale', so I'm guessing you got brought some extra hands with you?"

"Yeah, I got some reinforcements from Menagerie." Adam turned his neck and called them over. "Yuma, Trifa, Ilia!"

/-/

"What do you mean you nearly had him?" Cinder stressed the last word out of her mouth, nearly incinerating her scroll as she kept her cool demeanor in check. "You two said you had everything under controlled."

"We never said that." A man in his forties, whom Jaune nicknamed Laguna, said very bluntly. "We said we had everything in place. That does not mean we had it under controlled."

While they didn't exactly underestimate the blond boy called Mors, they weren't expecting how much of a resistance he can put up. It was unfortunate that the rest of the team was not there to aid them with their mission, otherwise, the outcome would have been different.

It wasn't a complete loss, however.

Cinder locked eyes with the mercenary, sensing he had more to tell. "Let's put all that aside for now. I suppose you wouldn't be calling me personally if you didn't have any… Good news?"

"Yes, when my mentee managed to track down Mors; we caught him unmasked."

"Oh?" Cinder raised her eyebrows, "Do tell or show." She is extremely curious about the mysterious figure who is known as Mors. The only person in existence that had ruined most of her plans in a single day.

Laguna sent over a file containing a video of their encounter with Mors. A blond teenager with deep blue eyes and fair hair was shown on-screen fighting viciously against the two mercenaries. Cinder's eyes went wide open, taking in the face of the one who had pulled the rug out from under her.

"This young man is Mors. The recording is roughly seven minutes." He checked his clock and glanced back at Cinder. "We're planning another attempt at Mors once my mentee tracks him down again. In the meantime, Dr. Watts suggests you look into this young man in the event we are unable to deal with Mors. Don't bother asking the doctor for his assistance. He has more important things to handle, which includes managing your little operation in Vale that you entrusted him with."

The call ended before Cinder could give a response, leaving her alone with a 'Call Ended' screen.

"So, you're Mors." She purred at the blond teenager on screen. "Where did you come from? Who are you?" Cinder caress the screen of her scroll, "What more can you do?"

/-/

Pyrrha was mildly dejected.

She had left Mistral in favor of attending Beacon instead of Haven in order to avoid the hometown attention, dodged most her fans and the media for a week, forestall several cadets at Beacon, and never found herself a partner during the initiation.

As it turned out, the number of people who passed this year's initiation was uneven.

In other words, everyone who passed had a partner, expect Pyrrha. How unlucky was that! Regardless of not having a partner, she was still assigned to a team. Her new teammates are Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

Together they form Team LNN, or Linen with Lie Ren has their leader. The team that doesn't need a fourth member because Pyrrha Nikos was on it.

"And that's why Pyrrha has been pouty ever since then." Yang gently rubbed the champion's shoulder. Joining her is Ruby and Nora, who also felt very sympathetic to Pyrrha's plight.

Jaune was no different.

"Yikes, that sucks." He scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say for the depressed champion.

Pyrrha sighed for the third time and sat straight up, removing the sad look from her face in an instance. "I'm fine you guys. Thank you for comforting me." She said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Nora asked. She's quite short, but if Yang's description of her is true, she has crazy strength and wields a gigantic hammer that shoots grenades. Looks can be deceiving.

"I'm sure. There's nothing we can do about it for now." Pyrrha said firmly, turning towards Jaune. "So, Jaune. Allow me to introduce to you my team leader, Lie Ren."

A young man with raven-colored hair and a pink streak politely nodded at him. "Call me Ren. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well."

"And his partner, Nora Valkyrie."

"Heya! So, are you and Pyrrha together-together?" A girl with orange-hair gaily bounced up and down around the screen eyeing him up and down, or at least tries to. The screen only shows his upper body. "Or are you together-together with Yang-Yang? Oh, oh! Maybe twin siblings? But your eye color is different."

"Nora." Ren grabbed her by the shoulder and sat her down. "Sorry about that. She's…"

"Bubbly?" Yang put out.

"Yes."

Jaune felt slightly awkward internally by Nora's question but didn't show it. "Pyrrha saved my life on one of my bounty missions twice, so I am indebted to her. I am also her friend."

It seems that Pyrrha has gotten herself acquaintance with a balanced team. A cheerful, bubbly girl, and a quiet, laidback boy. They look pretty friendly as well.

"And he saved my life as well," Pyrrha added in.

This sparked even more curiosity from Nora and Ren, though it was Nora who started asking questions. "Was it a Grimm? A big one? An army of them? Maybe a gigantic army of Grimm?"

"Let's not dive into this sort of matter unless they feel comfortable, Nora."

Nora blinked and pulled back to her seat, "Got it."

There was a moment of silence as everyone pulled together a conversation/topic to bring up. The one topic that comes up to mind was from a particular girl with a red cloak. It's about weapons.

"So, Jaune what kind of weapon do you use?" Ruby asked the blond boy, looking sheepishly as her sister was torn between proud and annoyed.

Proud because she started up a conversation and is one step closer to becoming a social person, and annoyed because it's about weapons… As always.

Jaune smirked, "Was that singular?" He has a lot to show off and that's the problem. There's too much to show off since he uses multiple weapons and tools in his trade. "Because I got several." He twirled his large barreled revolver onscreen, starting with the one he is most proud of. "Meet Knight's Fall, possibly the only weapon I completely built from scratch up. The rest was mostly modified."

"Oooh." Ruby eyed the revolver, "What can it do?"

Jaune swung out the cylinder, letting his friends get a good look at a portion of Knight's Fall internal workings. "It looks like a simple revolver, but inside is an assortment of moving parts that lets me cycle specialize bullets." He took apart the handle and trigger along with the firing pin, displaying a beautiful inlay of advance looking parts. "The handle has gravity Dust vials inside that goes up to the firing pin. It gives my bullet greater velocity and a powerful punch."

"Whooooa." Ruby's eyes sparkled, "Where did you get those? I spent weeks finding the best parts to make my baby! Which supplier did you go too?"

"Eh, shopped around in Atlas. Can't remember the name though." That was technically the truth. He was shopping around in Atlas and forgot the supplier's name, but it was in the black market, so…

Ruby pouted, "What? That's disrespectful you know!"

"Oh, no." Yang sighed, knowing what is about to come next. She turned towards the rest of the gang. "Close your ears and eyes unless you want to hear my sister ranting about weapon 'etiquette'." She made air quotes on the etiquette part.

Nearly all of them had a skeptical look. They can't picture the meek and shy Ruby angrily ranting/lecturing them about a nonexistent subject.

"Oh, it can't be that bad." Pyrrha tempted their fate.

/-/

It was bad.

Ruby was completely incessant in her rant about weapon etiquette that Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha had to scoot away just to lessen the burden on their ears. Even Jaune had to secretly lower the volume on his scroll just to survive the lecture.

Luckily, their savior comes in the form of mini Winter.

"Ruby! You dolt. What nonsense are you sprouting this time?" Mini Winter came up behind her and placed a firm hand on Ruby's shoulder.

Yang was extremely thankful, "Yes! Thank you Ice Queen! All hail the queen!"

"Hey! I'm queen of the castle you know!" Nora protested.

"Don't call me that." Mini Winter said haughtily, swatting the praise away with indifference. She glanced back at Ruby with a stern look, "And what were you going on about back there?"

"W-weapon etiquette, Weiss." She slightly stuttered, "I was giving them a… A lecture! Yeah, a lecture of weapon etiquette."

Her response seemed to baffle the mini Winter named Weiss. After staring intently at Ruby, Weiss sighed and sat down beside her. "If only you can be that assertive during our team training."

"I don't think you would want that," Yang muttered under her breath.

"Sorry…"

"Who's the mini Winter?" Jaune asked, earning him a glaring look from Weiss. The hostile look certainly brings Jaune back to the time he temporarily fought alongside Winter.

"Excuse me?" Whether Weiss was offended or simply peeved, Jaune may never know, but it seemed he made a new enemy; kind of. "Who are you?" She shot back.

Pyrrha quickly defended him, "He's a friend of ours."

"Hey, I'm Jaune." He waved at Weiss, "Sorry about that. You looked like someone I know." It's a bit of a stretch. He fought alongside Winter twice and she still has somewhat of a 'low' opinion of him. "You look almost like her."

She gave him an impartial look. "I see."

What did he mean mini Winter? Does he know her older sister, Winter Schnee, or is he referring to her cold demeanor and stature? Regardless, she didn't take kindly to either of those. But since he's Pyrrha's friend… She could be a little bit more lenient towards him.

"Small world." Jaune shrugged, "So, which team are you guys on?" He asked Yang and Ruby. They didn't tell him on the messaging app, not wanting to spoil the results.

Yang suddenly looked very proud. "Only the best team in Beacon!"

"Hey!" Nora scowled, "We're the best team in Beacon."

"We're Team RWBY! Lead by my baby sister, Ruby!"

That must have boosted Ruby's ego - a team named after her. "Really?" Jaune said with amazement. "They managed to name a team after you, Ruby?"

"Really." Weiss said flatly, looking a bit jealous.

The leader of Team RWBY looked flustered, "Yup. I, uh… I had help from Weiss with learning how to be a good leader." Ruby grasped Weiss's hand, "She's my partner!"

"And I'm the 'Y' of the group." Yang proclaimed proudly.

Jaune couldn't help but make a pun out of that. "Why is that?"

The two blondes grinned at each other while the rest seemed to sense something foreboding. None knew it all too well than her little sister, who immediately jumped on Yang, planting both of her hands on her mouth.

"No more puns! Weiss, help me!" Ruby cried out as Yang effortlessly brush her aside.

Surprisingly, Weiss wordlessly complied and aided her partner in subduing the blonde. After an amusing struggle between the team members of RWBY, Yang finally gave in when Weiss mentioned something about hair shampoo.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." Yang rolled her eyes, "So, where were we? Oh, yeah. My partner, Blake; isn't here right now. You know, the one you told us to say hello too?"

Adam's one and only pupil, Blake Belladonna. They met a few times before, but Jaune only got to know her well just recently. "You're partnered with Blake? Wow, very small world." Too many coincidences have been occurring recently. "Where is she anyway?"

"She got a call from her parents." Yang's mouth twitched, "I like her mother. She's quiet… Punny." Everyone but Jaune and Nora groaned at the pun. "Yes! Haha!"

"Yang… Why?" Ruby slammed her head onto the table.

The blonds snickered at everybody's displeasure. It wasn't every day you can find someone who appreciates a few puns in their lives.

Jaune bit down his laughter, "Right, I'll be staying in Vale for a while. You guys wanna hang out someday?"

Everyone, but Weiss, seemed to be interested.

Ruby had a thoughtful look and turned to her friends, "What do you guys think?"

"I'm afraid that we –"

"I would love to." Pyrrha interrupted Weiss, "Is that alright with you, Ren?"

Her leader casually shrugged with a laidback expression, "I'm fine with that. All of our assignments are finished anyway." It was the first week of the semester. Every assignment given was generally simplistic for the time being. "And we certainly need a break after all of this…"

"Are we finally getting to visit the city?" Nora asked, "Are there pancakes and sloths?"

"Pancakes, yes. Sloths, I don't know."

"I'm down!" Yang joined in. Beacon was great and all, but she was needed to recover from Professor Port's lecture.

Everyone turned to Weiss.

"What about you?" Ruby questioned the icy looking girl.

Weiss looked around helplessly, knowing she has been outvoted again. "I suppose we could enjoy a short tour of Vale."

"Yay!"

Jaune clapped his hand, "Great! So, what time and place do you guys want to meet up?"

/-/

"I lost the trail. Mors must have taken an airship out of Mistral." A young man with a white lower half mask and a hi-tech cuirass, whom Jaune nicknamed Vyse, reported to his senior. "The trail fades here."

Vyse's semblance allows him to trace the 'residue' of a person's aura based on how much of it was poured into any objects. He can only trace a single person and requires a decent amount of 'aura residue' to absorb in order to effectively track down a person. Sounds powerful and useful, but there are downsides. Distances come into a huge play. As the target strays further from Vyse, the trail grows fainter; like a translucent rubber band stretch thin till the point it was practically transparent.

It was unfortunate that the empty canisters and spent grenades Mors used were only enough to track Mors to Mistral. The ones Cinder provided no longer has anymore residue to use, and the empty bullet casing from Mors's guns didn't have enough. They could gather up the bullet casings, but the amount is most certainly insufficient. Besides, the police have already gathered all of those in any case.

"It can't be helped." Laguna emotionlessly surveyed the area and motioned his mentee to follow him. "Mistral was no longer safe for Mors. After our failed attempt, he would not have stayed around for long."

They left the landing docks in the cover of darkness, slinking back into the night. With their aura enhanced movement, they leaped overall security checkpoints and obstacles. The interference devices they wore masked their identities, allowing them to easily slip past the security cameras and sensors.

"How should we go about this?" Vyse asked, ducking behind a brick wall.

"We'll return to Mantle for the time being."

"And Mistral? I thought we still have an operation to do here."

"Piker will handle things in Mistral. He's got a small crew working under him for the time being."

They exited the landing docks without trouble and slid down the mountainsides, zipping between the boulders and cliffs. Hidden in a shallow cavern was their small airship cruiser. The mercenaries climbed onto the airship and took off to their home city, Mantle.

"Will Piker be able to handle the extra security that's happening around Mistral? Ever since our failed attempt, they increased their security in the capital city." As much as he finds the man unpleasant, Piker is a master of causing mayhems. One that the authorities cannot ignore even if they know it's a diversion. "More huntsmen will be stationed in the city now that the threat level has been raised. I don't think Piker will be able to get things done with that many hunters around."

"Our employers have that covered." Haven Academy headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart; was somehow in on all of this. Laguna wouldn't have believed with his eyes, but there was no denying it after meeting the man along with his employers. What a sad and craven man the headmaster is. "Focus on what we are tasked with next. In due time, our insurrection will start making itself known to Atlas."

The airship tore through the darken skies at full speed; back to the city that was left forgotten.

* * *

**Pardon my grammar**

**Vyse and Laguna are references and nicknames for the time being. Yes, it's based from Skies of Arcadia and Final Fantasy.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Short and boring chapter.**

**I am trying to get more references for casual conversation. Thinking of using Professor Arc series as one along with a few others.**

**These chapters tend to flesh the world out a bit, so they might seem like fillers to the readers. Not that it's not true or anything, but sometimes I feel like my stories can be a bit hollowed. ****This chapter has foreshadowing.**

**The next chapter will have some action in it.**

**New series coming up as well (Co-author). Keep an eye out. **

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

"Ma'am." Emerald fixed her Haven uniform, "Why didn't we provide them the video we received? Wouldn't it make our search easier?"

Mors was unmasked.

Unmasked by the mercenaries under Watts employment. If Emerald could remember, one of them possessed a semblance that lets him trace a person; provided under the right circumstances or something along those lines.

Mercury snorted while shaking his head, "And you said you're smarter than me, hah."

They glared at each other, breaking their intense staring contest the moment Cinder snapped her fingers.

"Enough." She may find their bickering amusing at times, but Cinder was not up for games today. "I didn't give Lil' Miss Malachite details on Mors identify because she isn't trustworthy." The Spiders had an impressive network, but it works both ways for the clients. And such a large spanning network is bound to have some unwanted people listening in on it. "Our enemies might be listening in on their network, even doing business with her."

"Mors does have an impressive track record." Mercury grudging admits, "Even my pops toast to the bastard every full moon. If we push the guy too far, others will offer protection in exchange for his service."

"Which is why it is best that we don't force him into a situation where he does so. We do not need our enemies gaining a resourceful ally."

Mors had essentially forced Cinder to abandon her original plans. She was enraged by it, no doubt, but Salem simmered her wrath by reallocating her assets and efforts to help Cinder. The amount of support she got from Salem was enough to appease Cinder's temper tantrum. However, Salem made it very clear that she will her support should Cinder go off track or things become too costly.

As a bonus, Cinder had the enjoyment of hearing Watts and Hazel protest this act of support.

Emerald nodded, finally understanding why Cinder didn't increase the pressure in their hunt for Mors.

"Do we have anything on his identity?" Emerald asked.

Knowing Mors's face is one thing. Knowing his background is another.

"Leonardo is working on that. Watts will assist us should things not go our way." Cinder said with a sinister smile.

The headmaster of Haven Academy is an important figure and holds a seat on the council. Therefore, Leonardo Lionheart has access to the council's database. If Mors doesn't show up there, then they will have to rely on Watts to assist them in their search. She may even get the benefit of watching him bitch about it while he works.

"So, what happens now?"

They weren't provided any orders or details for the day, which was odd considering how Cinder normally run things.

The false maiden turned and steady her gaze, "Now? We wait and watch. Afterall. Our allies back at the city are waiting impatiently for the signal to start."

/-/

With the Spiders circulating his 15 – 30 million Lien bounty back at Mistral, Jaune is essentially out of the market in that kingdom. It's a huge shame considering Mistral is home to the biggest black market, but his services are always welcome throughout the kingdoms.

Which is why Jaune is 'consulting' with Junior on this matter. Junior and his two bodyguards, the Malachite sisters had agreed to conduct business with Jaune in Junior's office.

The Malachite twins, stood not far from their boss, watching Jaune warily.

Yes, the Malachite twins are the daughters of Lil' Miss Malachite; the leader of the Spiders. The same one who is putting his bounty out in Mistral. Why are they in Vale instead of Mistral with their mother? You could say they're grown girls who should be free to explore, but let's just say that there's a reason why they're working at Vale instead of Mistral.

That aside, there's a partnership between the Spiders and Junior. They share information from their respective kingdoms and that's just about it. This means Junior will be letting Lil' Miss Malachite know that Jaune/Mors is here in Vale.

No more, no less.

Or else.

Jaune isn't exactly worried about Junior turning him over to the Spiders. The man owned Jaune a lot and he could easily dismantle their establishment in a heartbeat should he felt like it.

Junior nervously shuffled his paper on his desk, "There's a lot of requests in the upper-class district. Mostly escort requests for the rich folks. They're planning a massive party event at Vacuo and all of the moneybags are welcome to attend." He gently slides a small stack of papers to Jaune. "And these ones are the recruitment and contracts from the wetworks."

The wetwork is a hidden hub for contract killings, catering to clients and killers around the globe. If you're good at killing people and want to sell your service to a wider market, this is a good place to go to.

"Huh. Not much for Vale." Jaune sorted through the contracts, "Is this all you got for me after filtering them?"

"Yes. Most of the requests have already been answered." Junior cleared his throat, "You might have already noticed a number of… Unsavory people in the commercial districts."

With Roman and Neo no longer key players in Vale, there's no one left to put the crime lords in their place. A power vacuum was left in Vale and now there's no shortage of kingpins trying to whack each other out of the competition. That's why there's a large number of killers and mercenaries hanging around the area.

The blond boy scratched his head, "Most of the jobs are taken. Oh well." The competition will be fierce, and Jaune isn't feeling up to that sort of challenge for now. Still, there's one notable thing about these requests. "Why are all these from Mantle?"

Junior looked uncertain, "I've been trying to figure that out for a while. Couldn't get anything solid."

"Interesting." Jaune mused at the oddity before slipping them into his bag. "I'll go over these. Thanks for the help, Junior."

He waved them off and exited the office.

"Anytime. Girls, if you please?"

The Malachite sisters wordlessly followed Jaune out of the room, keeping a good distance from the blondie. They walked down the corridors in silence, making sure that Jaune actually leaves the club and not sneak around like he normally does.

Jaune lazily grinned at the twins, "I know where the exit is this time, girls." Melanie and Miltia silently stared back, not wanting to start a conversation with the guy who nearly done them. This was getting awkward. "I did say I was sorry."

"…"

"Right." Jaune coughed and quicken his pace, "I'll be on my way now."

/-/

Always remain vigilant.

Is what his master always says. That doesn't mean shifting one's eyes back and forth like a nervous smuggler. Too obvious and suspicious.

Don't try too hard.

Instead, take this advice to heart. Act natural while you keep track of your surroundings. Got something to hide? Looking for something or someone? Just act like yourself on a casual day. Act like you're just another person on the street, not some somebody who's being hunted or have a murky agenda.

With Vale crawling with hired cutthroat, there's bound to be one that might recognize him now that those Mantle mercenaries know his face. Though it is pretty likely they'll be keeping that sort of information to themselves as it will give them an edge over their competitors, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Stepping off the pavement, Jaune walked down the staircase to a circular hardscape area.

"Jaune! Over here!" Pyrrha waved at him.

Her teammates and friends were by the city square, hanging about, doing… Something.

Nora appears to be hyperactive, bouncing up and down; Ruby is scarfing down cookies; Blake is sheepishly reading a yaoi book that's disguised behind a fake book cover, and Weiss looks like she's about to berate her team leader.

The others appear to be normal enough. Aside from the weapons they carried on their sides or back, they could pass off as ordinary civilians.

"Hey, guys." Jaune jogged over and fist bump Yang, "How's everyone doing?"

"Everything has been good so far." Pyrrha was dressed in the same outfit she wore when she first encountered Jaune; the green hoodie, tanned trousers, shades, and dark blue weapon case to hold her weapons. "Well, aside from how my initiation went, everything else has been going well."

"Studying has been a huge pain." Yang chimed in, "You should have been there for our Grimm Studies and History lectures. The professors are… Weird."

"Sounds like school." Jaune was glad he doesn't have to go through that.

"Yup. And things got a little bit frosty with Ice Queen over there."

Weiss's head snapped towards Yang, "Excuse me?"

"But she's starting to warm up to us." Yang swiftly went to the icy girl's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Ice Queen here has been helping Ruby with her studies."

"What sort of teammate wouldn't help out their team?" Weiss shoved the girl's arm off with an irritated look.

Jaune watched with amusement as Weiss and Yang continued their tirade. "They certainly have a good team dynamic."

"They certainly do." Pyrrha agreed.

"And so, do we!" Cutting between them was the energetic and destructive Nora Valkyrie. She switched over to detective mode as she inspects Jaune from head to toe. "Say… What's your relationship with our Pyrrha?"

Didn't she ask that question during the call?

Ren gave Jaune an apologetic look, "She's been reading teen drama magazines lately."

They didn't exactly know how Nora got her hands on one since Beacon library doesn't contain that sort of literature, and none of them has been to a bookstore. The magazine just appeared one day in Nora's hand and Ren was tempted to say that it has made Nora slightly delusional with their school life.

In the background, Yang was making a cuckoo sign while pointing at Nora.

Jaune had no idea what to make of that, yet it explains a lot.

Somehow.

"Oh. We're friends." Jaune casually put out, "I promise you I'm not some… Uh… Crazy fan? Who's trying…" He was digging himself into a ditch here, "How do teen drama goes these days?"

Everyone briefly shot Weiss a look, quickly turning away before Weiss could catch wind of the implications.

"Nora." Pyrrha gently placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back, "Jaune is a friend of mine, not a deceptive fan. He didn't even know who I was back then."

Jaune scratched his cheeks, "I did think her name sounded familiar."

"Wait, you can't be serious." Weiss interrupted them, "There's no way you're unfamiliar with the name, Pyrrha Nikos. She's the four-time champion of Mistral's Regional Tournament."

"Um. Can we take this conversation to a less public place?" Blake swooped in the save the day, her eyes lingering on her yaoi book before glancing up. "Aren't you guys hungry?"

"Yeah! I'm hungry!" Ruby announced despite scarfing down several cookies earlier.

He clapped his hand, "Starving. Actually, skipped breakfast today. So, what restaurant did you guys decided on?" Jaune turned back to Weiss to answer her question as they started to leave the city square, "The name sounded familiar, but I mostly didn't have time to watch the sports news channel. I'm constantly on the move or working."

His answer didn't satisfy Weiss's skepticism.

"What kind of 'work' do you do?"

"Weiss, please don't start interrogating him."

"Oh? So, I'm not allowed to ask questions?"

Ruby fidget underneath her partner's frosty gaze, "You sound a bit mean when you ask questions."

Weiss's expression was unreadable.

"Here we go again." Yang sighed.

Jaune leaned towards Pyrrha, "Are they always like this?" He asked with an amused grin. It was an entertaining sight, watching a miniature Winter getting a bit feisty. "She really reminds me of someone."

"At least twice per day." Pyrrha smiled softly, "But she has good intention."

Everyone watched in amusement as it was Ruby's turn to get into a squabble with Weiss.

/-/

"So…? Have you guys decided on where we should eat?" Sun hung upside down from a thick tree branch, stomach growling; demanding food.

The recently formed huntsman-in-training team, Team SSSN, were touring the city of Mistral and staking a place to dine. Also, their leader forgot to eat breakfast today. He's also forbidden from stealing from the food stalls, and his teammates took great measures to enact that.

Scarlet rolled his eyes, "Quiet, Sun. Democracy is slow."

Their team leader has been moaning about this every ten seconds. And to top it off, Sun hasn't stopped swinging around, branch to branch, expending more energy and making the monkey faunus even more hungry. If Sun hadn't rushed their preparation for their weekend, this wouldn't have happened.

Like, seriously… Mistral isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sun leaped onto another tree branch, "I'm hungry! How come the team leader doesn't get to decide on this matter?" Several food stalls passed by them, each one making Sun even hungrier. "We just passed like –"

"We get it." Neptune was smiling, but internally he was starting to get peeved by Sun's incessant whining. "You gotta be chill, dude. You were the one who said the three of us will be deciding where we should be eating."

Blissfully unaware, Team SSSN passed by a group of dangerous people situated several meters away. A group of five people stood behind a rocky mount near a waterfall, restless and primed for the mayhem they are about to cause.

One of their scrolls beeped.

Tension rising.

"Hope you guys are ready," Piker closed his scroll and turned to face his group of hired guns, "cause that's the signal."

* * *

**Pardon my grammar.**


	9. Chapter 8

**So many puns...**

**A small spotlight for the newcomers.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

The student of Beacon is enjoying their day off despite the back and forth with the heiress and bounty hunter/mercenary. They were nested comfortably in the outdoors of a restaurant, enjoying the warm weather and clear sunny skies; seated in solid chairs around a giant circular table

"Have you ever considered enrolling in a Huntsman Academy?"

"Too much unnecessary studying. I mean, yeah math, history and other stuff are important, but…"

"It's a necessity. Those 'trivial' courses help huntsmen prepare for the life ahead of them. Calculations, knowledge of culture and surroundings, literature."

Jaune and Weiss were having a minor disagreement over what's the proper way to become a huntsman or huntress. It wasn't a full-on tirade. There were some constructive criticism and valid arguments the two made, but they obviously don't see eye to eye.

Jaune was more geared towards the 'old-fashion', hands-on and practical ways – The methods before Huntsman academies even existed. As for Weiss, she's more supportive of the modern structures and procedures in becoming huntsmen.

She views the former's ways as outdated and dangerous, which is reasonable considering the number of injuries and death that was amounted back then. Nonetheless, she will have to admit that the older generations from those eras produced reputable huntsmen and huntresses. One of the most famous is the huntress known as the Grimm Reaper.

Jaune took a sip out of his drink and returned to the conversation.

"Those are important, but nothing I haven't already learned. I think."

"You think?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Uncertainty can be life-threatening in the field. You shouldn't overestimate your abilities or assume them. That's why Huntsman academies were created for this reason."

"Huntsman academies are costly to some." He pointed out. With only four Huntsman academies limited to a controlled number of entrees, there were many hoops and requirements to jump through in order to enroll and become huntsmen. "I know waivers and scholarships are given, but with limited spaces in the academies, it's a lot more limiting and difficult to become one."

Weiss paused before giving her response, "I can't argue with that. However, if they are capable, wouldn't they be able to pass their huntsmen license exam? Besides, there are other career paths they could take that's similar to a huntsman. Soldiers and law enforcement for example."

"It's not the same as being a huntsman. You can't freelance or have much freedom if you're a soldier or a police officer, and the council doesn't really approve of the 'old ways' these days making things more difficult." Jaune did the air quotes to emphasis his counterargument on the flawed system, "Hey that rhymes."

Ways and days.

"Back to our conversation, please."

"Right. Sorry. Where was I?"

"Can you guys move on to a different topic?" Yang groaned.

They've been hearing both sides make their cases for nearly an hour or so. Everyone will have to admit, it was intriguing to hear how huntsmen were taught in the older eras and Jaune's views on the current system for training huntsmen being slightly flawed.

"Sorry, Yang. Guess that wasn't… Weiss of us. Eh?"

"Heeey." Yang grinned and made dual finger guns at him.

"Noooo…" Ruby head desked the table, "They're multiplying."

It turns out that all blondes love making puns. Her father is blond and he's the one responsible for getting Yang into this pun business. Now Yang wouldn't stop making puns much to her father's delight, and to Ruby's peril. What did she do to deserve this? Why are all the blondes pun lovers?

Blake's sharp yellow eyes bore into Jaune's. "Seriously? One was already enough."

Jaune shrugged, "I guess that makes us a… Double entendre now."

This particular pun seemed to stump everyone, but Weiss though it took a while her to remember what 'double entendre' means.

Her face suddenly turned slightly red, "Oh, you little uncouth…!"

"Uh… I'm taller than you. Unless you got some impressive high-heels." Jaune pointed out, "Maybe older as well?"

"What, what? What does it mean?" Yang didn't understand the meaning behind Jaune's pun and started shaking Weiss since she was the one that had a notable reaction. "Come on, Weiss Queen. What does it mean?"

"Look it up yourself." The heiress turned her nose up in a snobbish manner.

Yang turned to Jaune.

"What her highness said." He'll let Yang figure that one out on her own. Let her make her own conclusion on his 'clever' pun.

"That's heiress to you."

"Fine. I see how this goes." She took out her scroll and searched 'double entendre' in order to put an end to this mystery. "How do you spell entendre?"

While Yang worked out the spelling, the rest delved onto another topic, teamwork.

The initiator of this topic is Ren. Understandably since Team LNN only has three team members instead of the usual four. Individually, they were capable opponents able to take on multiple opponents without much difficulty.

At least for Nora and Pyrrha.

Ren is a capable fighter with a substantial aura control for someone who was mostly self-taught, but he can't perform feats like his other teammates. He was quick to point out flaws, able to give snippets of advice, but can't exactly piece them all together in an effective manner. He believes he's more suited as an adviser than a leader.

Jaune hummed while he thought of a solution or advice to give. "There's a wide variety of leadership styles. Each one varies by situation. I think we can approach this in a handful of ways." He listed out the approach with his fingers. "Why not continue learning from your mistakes. There's no danger since you guys are at Beacon to learn, why not do some experiments? Learn how to analytically observe and try out new things, see which one works. Get support from teammates and friends. I'm sure they would be happy to help you."

"I am here for you, my fearless leader!" Nora puffed out her chest with pride, "Unless it's that nutrition drink you make. I refuse to drink that."

Ren rolled his eyes, "It's good for your health."

"Not for my taste buds."

"But Jaune does have a point." Pyrrha firmly agreed with Jaune's advice, "We're here for you if you need help. That's what teams are for."

"Yeah." Ruby joined in the conversation. "You know, Weiss has been helping me work out a training regimen for our team. Maybe both teams can exchange notes and learn from each other?"

There are no rules against multiple teams working together. It's actually encouraged in some cases. Both Team RWBY and LNN are formidable, standing out amongst most of the other huntsmen teams. If the two teams worked together, they might increase their standing significantly. Each individual has an impressive niche they fill, so there's much to learn from each other.

"I don't have anything against that." Should both teams decide to collaborate, Weiss would be more than happy to help out. It gives her a good chance to connect with others. "We've worked well during the initiation. Capitalizing it will help us in the upcoming years."

"If that's alright with you." Ren was hesitant, but he does want to improve and be better. It's one of the many reasons why he applied to Beacon in the first place. "What about you guys?"

"I'm down!"

"It would be fun and beneficial to work with everyone…"

"That sounds grand."

They pulled out their scrolls and typed down a few notes for their upcoming schedules.

"What say you, Yang?"

"…"

"Yang?"

Everyone turned their attention to Yang, who was hunched over in a thinker pose. Her face was neutral, yet thoughtful and the boisterous air around the fearsome blond girl was unnaturally mellowed. Jaune didn't know Yang that much, but he certainly knows that whatever was happening to Yang is not normal.

"Yang? Are you okay?" Ruby waved a hand in front of her sister's eyes.

"I'm alright, Ruby," Yang replied with a calming voice. Very, very unnatural. "I'm just trying to reach enlightenment."

"What?"

Blake warily eyed her blond partner, "Something's wrong. Yang is never like this."

"You're right about that." Weiss nodded, "Speak to us, Miss Xiao Long. What's gotten into you?"

"Do you have a fever?" Pyrrha closed in, but Yang waved her away.

"No, no. None of that." Yang stared at her scroll, and then to Jaune. "I never realized how profound that pun was. Double entendre… I thought it was nonsensical. I thought your pun was nonsensical, something made on a whim, or maybe a trick, but the more I put my thought into it…"

"I think she has a fever." Pyrrha reaffirmed her diagnosis despite not being a doctor.

"I think she lost it." Weiss snorted.

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby motioned her teammates to moved towards her sister "Yang. What's troubling you? You're not making any sense."

"Okay, I am scared now. What did I do?" Jaune backed away, but Yang had grasped his hand just as he was about to move.

"Teach me your ways, oh enlightened pungeon master!"

"Say what?"

Red alert! Red alert! This must never happen! If Yang somehow ascends from being a pungeon master, Beacon Academy, and most importantly, themselves; is doomed to suffer for all eternity!

"No! I will not let that happen!" Ruby cried and jumped from her chair, "I, Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, hereby enact article 0!"

Blake and Weiss instantly moved to restrain their blond teammate with Ruby wrapping her arms around Yang's torso. For some reason, Team LNN was in on this as well, pulling Jaune away from Yang like they have trained for this particular moment all their life.

"Has the world gone mad, or am I in one of those reality TV pranks shows?" Jaune asked with a confused expression. Like seriously, what in Remnant is going on here?

Pyrrha bashfully grinned, "Let's just say, we had to listen to Yang's puns for weeks now."

"Oh. So, I guess you guys couldn't take a… Pun-ch?"

/-/

Team SSSN had split up to handle the crisis that had suddenly plagued Mistral, leaving Sun and Neptune to deal with Piker and Fade. If all four were here and managed to confront Piker and his crew, the criminals wouldn't have stood much of a chance.

It was unfortunate that Sun and Neptune happened upon a large group of looters, which is how they came into conflict with Piker. The initial battle resulted in the huntsmen-in-training favor but soon became increasingly difficult as the criminals resorted to their street smarts and underhanded tactics to drive them back.

The duo was eventually forced to duel the criminals one on one, Piker against Sun, and Fade against Neptune.

"Come here, monkey boy!"

"I'm going to make you eat your words!"

He twirled his both of dual shotgun nunchaku, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, and lunged towards Piker. Sun's mind was becoming clouded. He couldn't place it, but his agitation from hunger and the taunting he endured from this criminal in front of him was making him reckless.

Such recklessness will be in Piker's favor. He grinned and fired his pistol dagger at a wall. A purple spherical round with shades of green hue bounced off the wall and into Sun's rib, blowing the monkey faunus through a nearby building.

"Hahaha! Ah… You could only make monkey noises and have the intelligence of one as well."

"Grrr!" Sun burst through the rubble and leaped back to confront Piker.

"Sun! Snap out of it, dude!" Neptune slid behind cover to avoid an electrified water whip and fired wildly at the owner of such a terrifying weapon. "Come on! Help me out! I'm afraid of the waters!"

That ridiculous statement from a guy whose name is named after a water god snapped Sun out of his berserker trance. The irony was so strong that Sun's eyes crossed for a brief moment, recovering from Piker's mind tampering semblance.

Sun quickly analyzed his position and blocked three more rounds from Piker before joining Neptune behind cover. "Sorry about that. I think that guy with the blue-gray coat is messing with my mind."

"It's cool. It's cool…" Neptune had regained his composure, somewhat. "Can you please do something about the hooded guy with the water whip?" He leveled his weapon, Tri-Hard, to provide firing cover. "Oh, man… Look what's happening to Mistral."

The air was coated with black smoke from the bombs Piker and his crew planted throughout the city. With his semblance directed at the panic mass of citizens, everything soon becomes a riot. The drive for self-preservation leads to thoughtless actions as the citizens clamber over each other to get away from the chaos.

Even with the authorities and huntsmen trying to take control of the situation, the amount of stress and uncertainty allowed Piker's semblance, Hysteria, to weaved into their minds. Yet in all this chaos, the authorities were quickly bringing people back under control.

Piker knows this.

He and his crew, along with their cannon-fodder allies, will need to act fast before the authorities shut them down.

"My aura is at 56% because of that stupid monkey kid and the special response team will be kicking this place over, looking for us." Piker took cover and started casually conversing with his hooded accomplice, Fade. "So, how's the heist going?"

Fade dissipated his water whip back to his water Dust engraved tattoo while glancing at his scroll. "Krin and Oliver have packed the cache with every Dust they could find in the plaza. The Spiders and their so-called friends are helping them move the stuff underground right now."

"Then it's time to skedaddle."

The criminals turned and fled the scene, quickly weaving through the damaged buildings and smoke.

Pursuing them are the two huntsmen-in-training, Sun and Neptune, who were very intent on preventing them from escaping. Hastily, Sun used his faunus heritage to swiftly move through the roof of buildings and tree branches to cut them off.

"That faunus is gaining on us!"

"Get a move on. I'll deal with these kids." Piker slowed his pace and fired a shot onto the floor, letting it bounce towards Sun and nearly striking the faunus if it weren't for his quick reflexes. "Geez, nice reaction. You two kids sure know how to make things difficult." He reloaded his pistol dagger whom he named Lucky Shot. "Tell you what. You kids are already strong, even for me. Don't be a bully. Can't you be lenient to a guy trying to make a living?"

Sun sneered as he stood atop a building, "After what you did here? No way, you're going down."

"Yeah, bombing civilians and causing this much damage? Attracting Grimm to Mistral? Not cool."

Piker snorted and shrugged, "Eh, worth a shot."

Several volleys raked through the air as the huntsmen-in-training and culprit exchanged fire. Blurs of Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang deflected the bullets allowing Sun to close in on Piker. From Sun's earlier skirmish with Piker, the felon can't keep up if he gets into a melee fight with him. With Neptune around, the culprit will be down in no time.

Two spectral clones of Sun shot out from his body and zipped towards Piker.

Scowling, Piker backpedaled and kicked off from the floor. He leaped on top of a cliff and bounced multiple rounds towards the clones, managing to destroy one of them, leaving the other clone free to home in on him. Piker turned Lucky Shot and slashed at the clone, grinding against its spectral staff.

Sun grinned, "Gotcha."

He detonated his spectral clone. The bright yellow explosion blew Piker back into a solid stone wall, sending cracks among its mossy decoration.

"Awesome dude!" Neptune shot Piker's weapon out of his hand. "Okay, we got you cornered. Just give up and wait for the police."

"Really? Is that how you're going to talk to me? Your voice and sentences are… What do you call it?" Piker activated his semblance. "Very uncool."

"U-u-uncool? No, no, no…! I am…!"

Neptune froze. His low self-esteemed took a huge hit from the villain's remark, making him noticeably slack and defenseless. His partner noticed this and yelled at Neptune to get pull himself together as he urgently made his way towards the criminal.

Grinning, Piker slid his backup shotgun pistol down from his sleeve and fired it at Neptune.

"Haaaa!" Sun strained his body, lunging towards Piker while generating two clones to take the round for Neptune.

Piker then turned his gun on Sun.

The explosive round from the shotgun pistol blew both huntsmen-in-training back and filled the area with heavy smoke. With his opponents temporarily down and visually impaired, it was time for Piker to make his escape. He briskly retrieved Lucky Shot from the ground and fled the scene before his opponents could get back up.

"Gah. I'll get arthritis one of these days." He winced while shaking his hand from the recoil of his backup weapon, Gambler's Shot. The weapon was concealable, could only chamber two rounds and had a nasty stopping power along with a wrist breaking recoil. "Damn kids these days."

/-/

"That's how I got this scar." Pyrrha pulled down her socks to reveal a small red scar that marred her surprisingly smooth skin. It was a scar she got from fighting against Greenley. "I was lucky. It could have been much worse if Jaune didn't save me."

The one-sidedness of the battle opened Pyrrha's eyes. It made her understood that despite how others see her, she is not the 'invincible girl' that seemed undefeatable. Even when she tried to utilize her Polarity semblance, she was unable to hold her ground against Greenley. The former specialist proved to be just as dangerous without a weapon.

She could still recall the cold steel blade just inches away from her eyes. It was death staring right at her and it changed Pyrrha's outlook on the future ahead of her.

Everyone quietly took in Pyrrha's story.

"Wow…" Yang somberly grasped her shoulder. "I… Didn't know something like that happened."

The mood took a serious turn when their discussion progressed into combat. It was a valuable session, but Yang and Nora's cocksure attitude apparently made Pyrrha very concern about her friends. Hence, she and Jaune gave an anecdote of their encounter with the disgraced, former Atlesian specialist.

Weiss meekly nodded, "I don't want to be that person, but Jaune. What were you thinking?"

The boy in questioned sighed and slumped back a bit, reflecting on his brash attitude back when he was tracking down Greenley. It was pretty stupid of him to go off on his own against Greenley and his paramilitary group of terrorists.

"I was overconfident, arrogant and tunneled vision when I was tracking down Greenley. My stupidity nearly killed Pyrrha and me. If it weren't for her helping me out, I would have died twice." It was a life debt he owes Pyrrha and the scar merely amplified his guilt.

"But you two are here, now." Ruby tried to lighten the mood, "You guys have a chance to learn from your mistakes and become better huntsman and huntress."

It was a bit sappy, but Ruby is the kind of person to sprout sappy stuff with pure intention.

"Can we move onto a different conversation?" Nora made a pouty expression at the serious mood that surrounded their table.

"Nora…"

"Sorry."

"Well, let's put our negative thoughts away or we'll attach Grimm." Jaune gave his usual goofy smile to release the tension. "So, what do you guys –" His scroll rang. "Hang on, I need to take this call."

Everyone nodded courtesy. "Take your time."

Jaune left his seat and checked the caller ID. It's from Adam. Would Blake want to hear in on this?

He answered the scroll but didn't put it on video.

"Hey, Oxford. How are you?"

"Jaune. Check the news."

/-/

Piker cracked his neck as he continued to work on crafting his special bullets for his weapons. It's been an eventful, but successful day. A pity that most of his crew members left after finishing their services. What's their name again? Ah, Krin and Oliver.

The moment they received their payment, they were off. Such a shame. They were quite talented as well.

And no, they were not killed off. If he or his employers did that, no one would work for them ever again. It's best to have them alive so that they'll come back when they need employment. Consider it an investment. A risky one, but it's a low effort investment. Heck, Piker even gave them his illegitimate business card.

"So, why are you two sticking around?" He asked the two remaining members of his crew.

A young man with brown hair in his early twenties, and a man donning a gray hood and bandana were the only ones left. Charco and Fade.

"Because this so-called little operation is much more than I thought." Fade traced the Dust engraved tattoos on his arms, letting it glow and hiss. "This is just the tip of the iceberg, and I would rather be a part of it rather than be on the ship heading towards it."

Fade was probably one of the most exotic hired guns Piker has ever encountered with his Dust tattoos decorating his entire body. He may not look like it, but Fade is a master of Dust manipulation and a spiritualist to the boot. His unique control and mastery over Dust make it difficult for Piker to fully gauge his full potential.

"Good choice." Piker laughed before turning to Charco. "What say you?"

Charco crossed his arms and replied quietly, "I have my reasons."

The young man was the most mysterious of the batch he hired. Charco didn't show off much aside from his set of deer horn knives and making quick work of any resistance that got in his way. Piker figured the young man is an assassin from some obscure Mistralian order or something.

"Well then. Welcome aboard you two." He turned towards the giant screen behind him, "I believe these two are worthy. What do you say, doctor?"

The giant screen flickered, revealing Dr. Arthur Watts. The disgraced Atlesian doctor and scientist surveyed the two hired guns in front of him and nodded.

"Hm. After going over the footage of your stunt at Mistral, I must say; you found some useful hired hands." Dr. Watts pulled up three smaller screens to view, "How do you gentlemen feel about relocating to Mantle? I understand that it may not seem like much in the meantime but let me tell you. It'll be quite… Revolutionary."

* * *

**Puns, puns.**

**Pardon my grammar and puns.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Short chapter, wounds reopened.**

**Pardon my grammar.**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

It's been reported that Vale has suffered a notable rate of violence in the following months after Roman Torchwick's disappearance. The infamous thief was essentially a wildcard in the criminal world, wreaking havoc on every single crime group that got too powerful, and wealthy.

Garnered too many cash and illegal goods? Roman is there to take it and cripple whatever foot soldiers the gangs employ.

"Where are we hitting today?" One of the three, casual-looking men asked his leader.

"Mr. Sangue's honeycomb."

"Think we'll be able to take a shot?"

"The boys gave us a chance, we're taking it."

Unbeknownst to them, someone was tailing them in the darkness.

The figure in the dark paused as his targets started laughing at a joke, then he made his move. Blurring behind them, he drew his revolver and collapsible sword drawn with both hands. Sharp cracking gunshots echoed through the dark corners of Vale's river docks.

Underneath the shining shattered moonlight, three bodies fell onto the solid ground, unmoving. A lone figure stood above the bodies, his dark blue combat uniform pales in the moonlight.

A figure who is known as Mors.

"That's the last of them. Maybe."

/-/

"Mors!" A well-dressed man known as Mr. Sangue was clapping his hands while strolling towards Jaune. "How is my favorite contractor doing? I've heard of your predicament with Little Miss Malachite and her Spiders." The man patted Jaune's arms in an assuring manner. "Do not fear that backwatered woman. If you need a place to call sanctuary, I will welcome you with open arms! None of her associates will dare come after you here."

Jove Sangue is a large man with slick back, gray silky hair and wine-colored eyes. Upfront, he may seem outgoing, boisterous, and jovial. But Jaune knows better than being too comfortable with the crime lord. Outside of his friends, associates, and inner circle, his enemies call him the Bloody Man for a good reason.

"You're too kind, Mr. Sangue." Jaune politely shook hands with the giant man. "But your praises are good enough for me. I am capable of handling whatever the Spiders throws my way."

Mr. Sangue's grin widened. "Ha! You flatter me! Come! Take a seat!" He waved Jaune towards a red soft chair, laced with gold frames. "You remember Arancione don't you?"

He motioned towards his personal bodyguard and enforcer, who stood in a corner menacingly.

Arancione is a tall stature man with pale orange cropped hair. He has five wicked clawed scars running horizontally across his face, most likely from an Ursa Major. Dressed in dull clothes, Arancione is decked out with metal armor that pairs well with his utility lantern shield and heavy rapier.

"Hard to forget someone as tough as Arancione."

"It's hard to forget someone who has a 15 to 30 million lien bounty as well." Arancione uncrumpled a Spiders' wanted poster and looked at it with disinterest. "Did you grievously insult Jacques Schnee? Perhaps the entirety of a kingdom's body council to get this sort of bounty?"

"Now, now. Let's not go into such personal matters after our dear amico just got back." The crime lord clasped his hand, happily looking at Jaune. " He's done many great favors and got rid of those pests for us."

Those pests mentioned are Mr. Sangue's rival competitors out to chip away his influence in Vale, and there were a lot of them creeping out during nighttime.

"Yes, sir."

"Now it's all in the past! Terribly sorry about that." Mr. Sangue apologized for his subordinate's behavior. "Arancione was always a curious fellow. Now then! Let's get down to business, yes?"

It was time for Jaune to do some contract negotiation. The contract in question is mostly metaphorical since somethings on their 'contract' is better off unlisted.

"My payment for today's commission?"

Cleaning up the streets of Mr. Sangue's enemies is easy compared to most commission Jaune takes, but it's a huge pain in the ass to do when Vale has eight criminal syndicates vying for power. He doesn't know who's who anymore, and there are some dangerous people mixed in among the ranks of their hired goons.

"Would you like your payment in liens or gold?" He slid a gold bar wrapped in silk cloth and a similarly wrapped stack of lien. "A little bit of both?"

"A little bit of both." A bit of lien and gold is always good. Especially gold, since its always in high demand. Jaune could always sell it to jewelers for a decent price.

"Excellent." Mr. Sangue produced a red stiletto out of thin air and tossed the gold bar into the air. A flash of red cleanly cut the gold bar in perfect twos, falling into the crime lord's palm. He then swiped his hand across the stack of lien, taking a decent chunk off. "Here you go, my amico."

He slid a cubic gold bar and liens to Jaune.

"Thank you." Jaune took it off the smooth wood glossed table.

"No, no. Thank you." He emphasized the 'you' part. "Your payment aside, I assume you already received the key my men gave to Junior, yes?"

"Yes. Received it and collected my rewards."

Mr. Sangue rapped his table rhythmically. "Wonderful. Onto real business. I understand that Junior has already provided you a good amount of commissions to go over, yes?"

"He did, but it's not much. Most of them were already taken, or not up to my standards."

"How unfortunate." Mr. Sangue ceased smiling, putting on his considerate and thoughtful look. "I suppose you're still not interested in my offer for a position among my establishment?"

"As much as I would love to join your establishment, I am free-spirited at the end of the day. I must refuse, no offense."

A polite way of saying that Jaune doesn't want to be deeply rooted or tied into a criminal syndicate, successful they may be. Criminal dealings go beyond just murder, and Jaune wants no part in that. Well, the people he often killed were at least, the types no one would miss. Other than that, Jaune wants nothing to do with extortion, trafficking, and all the typical things organized crime do.

"None taken, amico. If you're looking for work outside my people's capacity, I just might have something for you." Several papers and photographs were fanned out on the table. "My captains just so happened to have some troubling news. One of our despicable competitors happens to run a trafficking ring to finance their little enterprise."

Jaune's eyes angrily narrowed behind his military-grade goggles. "Tell me more."

Mr. Sangue, being the cunning and crafty crime lord knew that he has Mors hooked in for this commission. Why did Mors choose to work with him instead of the other criminal enterprises in Vale? Quite simple really.

Out of all criminal syndicates in Vale, his establishment doesn't do human trafficking along with a few other unpleasant dealings. Jove Sangue, the Bloody Man that he is known, is one of the lesser evils. His rivals may scoff and mock him for the supposed loss of revenue in exchange for having a bit more morals, but his access to those like Mors proves otherwise.

"One of our spies reported that a large shipment containing forced manual laborers is coming to Vale in a week or so. From the report, it is confirmed that they are used as free labor for the Dust mines. All of them desperate males, mainly faunus, who were tricked into this dangerous work."

"I'm assuming that the SDC is buying Dust off your competitors at the expense of these laborers?"

With the current state of the Schnee Dust Company, it's not that hard to piece the picture together. Having the monopoly business working or financing a rival organized crime is also not something Mr. Sangue can overlook as well.

"There's no solid proof of the SDC involvement, but I don't believe any of us would be surprised if they were. Yes?"

"No, we wouldn't." Jaune sat back, gathering his thoughts on this matter. After several seconds of consideration, he turned to Mr. Sangue. "I will help you break this trafficking ring, but I won't be needing your assistance from your establishment. I have my own contacts."

Mr. Sangue gave Mors a knowing smile. The crime lord won't have to get his hands dirty on this one. All part of his plans. Regardless of the outcome, his competitors will be putting the crosshair on Mors and his contacts instead of his establishment. "If all goes well, I promise that you and your contacts will be rewarded like kings."

He put his hands out, and Mors took it. Shaking on the arrangement.

"Deal."

/-/

"You know he played you into doing his dirty work." Adam berated Jaune through his scroll for his supposed spur of the moment the blond boy is known for. "Is the information even accurate? How do we know it's not a trap?"

"First off, Adam. I knew what Mr. Sangue was doing, thank you very much. Second, the man may be a criminal with a lot of blood on his hand, but he has a very good reason to break up this trafficking ring. Having the SDC financially backing one of his rivals is dangerous to his establishment, so the information is most likely correct and not faked. Third, are we going to ignore the fact that we have enslaved faunus and humans illegally being shipped to Vale? Especially the faunus?"

Adam gave him a flat look, despite hiding behind his mask. "And if this is a trap?"

"I'll be going in first to make sure it's not."

"…"

He was hesitating on whether or not to go along to Jaune's plan. Their priority was to retake the splinter cell of Vale's White Fang branch but saving faunus is one of the White Fang's top goals. Plus, they've yet to fully gauged the splinter cell's capability should Adam and his White Fang try to retake it. Heck, he doesn't even know if the rogue White Fang group would welcome him or attack him on sight.

Most importantly, he was afraid of Cinder being there. If she was, then their takeback operation would become much more dangerous. Fatal is the keyword.

"It'll be good PR for the White Fang. Freeing people from a criminal trafficking ring, humans and faunus."

"We're already considered terrorists." The White Fang is now known only for its violent movement. Even a good portion of faunus don't like the White Fang. Those who do look at them in a positive light are those mostly from heavily discriminated areas. "A little bit of good PR won't do us much favor." Even if they do some 'good' for the people, it still won't change the general view towards them. "But you're right, I can't ignore this."

"Don't forget that we'll be screwing with the SDC since they're the ones paying the traffickers for the Dust." Jaune hammered home just by mentioning a chance to take a crack shot at the SDC. Mr. Sangue isn't the only one who can pull one's moral strings. "But I don't think we can find any evidence to tie them in."

Adam suddenly looked more invested. "They'll get away anyway because of those damn council members and the SDC's lawyers." He drew his sword, letting the red blade glimmer in the light. "But anything to screw with the SDC is fine with me. Got a plan?"

/-/

Cinder calmly drank her warm tea while flipping through the newsfeed. She and her two underlings, Emerald and Mercury were situated in Haven's Headmaster office.

"So, the Mistral council has decided to accept Atlas Military aid."

After the amount of mayhem caused by Piker and his crew. Fear and tension were at an all times high in Mistral, attracting Grimm to the main city and neighboring ones. Despite all of this, the Creatures of Grimm were unable to make it far due to the mountainous terrains Mistral was built on. But it was enough to make the citizens of Mistral worry, and thus, bringing an endless cycle of Grimm migration.

Seeing this, Atlas has offered to send in military fleets to help deal with the influx of Grimm and quell the uneasy citizens of Mistral. It was put to the vote, and while the citizens still have faith in their huntsmen and defense force, they would feel safer with Atlas military aiding them.

Thrice have Mistral been wracked with mayhems. First, it was Greenley's and his paramilitary crew, then two unknown assailants, then Piker and his band of criminals.

All of a sudden, having a foreign military presence to keep the order didn't seem so bad.

"Yes. I've convinced the other council members to support the new measure." Leonardo Lionheart, Haven Academy's Headmaster was standing in front of his own desk, while Cinder sat in his chair.

It was ironic.

Cinder is listed as a student at Haven, yet she's sitting in the headmaster's chair. Meanwhile, the headmaster himself was standing in front of the desk like a troubled student.

"Good. That should give our allies in Mantle to make their moves."

With a decent portion of Atlas military fleet away from Atlas and Mantle, the insurgents will be able to proclaim their emergences and inflict devastating attacks against Atlas military presences and SDC mines in Mantle.

In all honesty, this whole insurgency thing was stupid to Cinder. It was detrimental to Mantle and Atlas, but even more so to Mantle itself. Not that she really cares about it. Dr. Watts's little insurgency will help Cinder in her goals, and that's all that matters.

"Are we using the virus against Atlas hardware here? In Mistral?" Mercury was laying on the couch with his feet rested on the armrest.

Leonardo looked guilty at the prospect of Mistral becoming a slaughtering ground for hacked military androids and Grimm, but it was either them or his life.

"No, we'll be holding our cards for now." Cinder still wishes to use Watts's virus in Vale once the Vytal Festival starts. "But it would be a waste not to install it on the CCT here." They have easy access to the CCT network in Mistral, and Leonardo can easily handwave any restriction. "Do see to it, Leonardo."

"Y-yes. Of course." Leonardo meekly bowed. "And as for Mors… I was… I was able to get a match."

Cinder and her underlings' curiosity were pique about the bounty hunter known as Mors.

"Do tell." Cinder purred.

"Several match and records were from the Mistral's Special Response Team database." Leonardo shakily displayed the records he had taken onto the screen. A young man with bright blond hair and blue eyes popped up, staring back at them. "He's listed as Jaune Arc. Twice he appeared in this database with the most recent one concerning a run-in with those two mercenaries your colleague hired."

Cinder snorted at that. Arthur Watts is no colleague of hers. "A confirmation of Mors's identity. Continue dear Leonardo."

"It's… It's unknown if the name he provided is an alias, but this young lad doesn't show up in any database outside of this one. No records."

"Interesting.?"

"And there are several people, who have Arc as a surname."

Mercury smirked. "Using his family to blackmail? This should be good."

"Not so fast, we don't know if that is his true name." Cinder cautioned. "He could have taken up the name Arc and set those with that surname as bait."

It was a far cry, but Cinder was not taking any chances. Twice had Mors screwed her over, and she was not going jump the slope until she was absolutely sure she Mors was down there.

"Then what should we do?" Emerald asked. "Do we ask them if they know someone named Jaune Arc or something?"

"I'll think of something, but we should remain cautious for now. Leonardo, pull up all the names that have Arc as a surname."

"O-of course."

"What about Lil' Miss Malachite?"

Cinder sneered at the mentioning of the plump lady. "I don't trust her with this sort of information. She double deals with all her clients when it benefits her. We're not giving her anything as of now, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now let's see how our operations in Vale is going."

* * *

**Pardon my grammar.**

**Mr. Sangue you magnificent bastard.**

**And damn it Jaune...**


End file.
